[Histofluorescence localization of cellular sites binding steroid hormones in human breast cancers]

Cytochemical steroids binding activity of human mammary cancer cells is demonstrated in cryostat frozen sections using hydrophilic fluorescent steroid hormone ligands. The cytochemical results indicate that mammary carcinomas are composed of heterogeneous populations of positive and negative cancer cells in varying proportions. A comparison with biochemical data was made. There exists no correlation between the results obtained with the histochemical and the biochemical techniques. The specificity of this new tool of investigation is discussed.