ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS IN HUMAN BREAST-CANCER AND BENIGN LESIONS

Electrical potentials were measured on the breast and at other sites i n 110 women with palpable breast masses. The tumor site was significan tly electropositive compared with control sites only when the tumor wa s a cancer, as determined by a subsequent biopsy; the electrical poten tials were not influenced by age or menstrual cycle. The results indic ate that, on average, altered electrical potentials detected by a noni nvasive measurement on the skin reflect the presence of transformed ce lls in patients with breast cancer. Previous in vitro studies of breas t tissue and breast epithelial cells suggest that the observed effect was due to a change in interstitial K+ concentration that arose from a lterations in the activity of K+ channels. Electrical potentials may b e suitable for diagnosis of individual patients if refinements are mad e in the measurement technique.