[The importance of determining androgen receptors in malignant breast tumors]

Androgen receptor (AR) level was studied in 254 untreated cases of breast cancer. The occurrence and mean level of AR did not depend upon stage of disease or reproductive status. However, distribution of AR was determined by histologic pattern and grade of malignancy. Increase in degree of anaplasia of ductal invasive carcinoma was matched by decrease in its AR-positive fraction from 75 to 20%. Recurrence-free survival in surgically treated p T1-2 No Mo patients did not depend upon AR status of tumor. In cases of p T1-2 No Mo AR-positive malignancy, recurrences or metastases occurred 2.2 times as rarely when surgery was followed by endocrine therapy. However, in patients with AR-negative tumors (same stage), the best results were obtained with postoperative chemo- and chemoradiation treatment.