Glucose transporter Glut-1 is of limited value for detecting breast carcinoma in serous effusions
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 27, 2026

Quantitative Measurement of GLUT4 Translocation to the Plasma Membrane by Flow Cytometry
Published on: November 7, 2010
R L Zimmerman1, S Goonewardene, F Fogt
1Department of Pathology, Presbyterian Medical Center, 39th and Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. robertz@mail.med.upenn.edu
Abstract:
Diagnosing breast carcinoma that has metastasized to body cavity fluids can be difficult. Recently, immunostaining for the facultative glucose transporter Glut-1 has been described as a sensitive and specific means of detecting carcinomas in effusions. However, only five cases of breast carcinoma were studied. We examined Glut-1 specifically as a means of detecting breast carcinoma in effusion cytology. Using avidin-biotin immunocytochemistry, cell block material from 31 cases of breast carcinoma metastatic to body cavity effusions and 33 cases of benign effusions were studied. All cases were immunostained with the Glut-1 antibody. An additional set of slides from these same cases was stained for mucin using the Mayer's mucicarmine technique. Slides were graded for percentage of cells exhibiting immunoreactivity for Glut-1 or for the presence of mucin. Results of staining for both Glut-1 alone and in combination with mucicarmine were compared between the benign and malignant groups. Of the breast cancer cases, 19 of 31 (61%) were immunoreactive for Glut-1, and 25 of 31 (81%) were positive for either Glut-1 or mucicarmine. One of the 33 (3%) benign cases was immunoreactive for Glut-1, and none were positive for mucin. These data suggest that using Glut-1 as a single immunostain or in conjunction with mucicarmine is a specific but modestly sensitive means of detecting breast carcinoma in this cytologic setting.
More Related Videos
06:28A Simple Flow Cytometric Method to Measure Glucose Uptake and Glucose Transporter Expression for Monocyte Subpopulations in Whole Blood
Published on: August 12, 2016
10:35Extracellular Glucose Depletion as an Indirect Measure of Glucose Uptake in Cells and Tissues Ex Vivo
Published on: April 6, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Secondary Active Transport
Secondary Active Transport
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine