ABILITY OF LYMPHOCYTES INFILTRATING BREAST-CANCER TISSUE TO CONVERT ANDROSTENEDIONE

Lymphocytes were isolated from 43 surgical samples of breast cancer af ter tumor enzyme digestion and Ficoll/ Verographine procedure. In all, 23 specimens from lymphocytic-tissue infiltrates were analyzed (in so me cases, material from 2 or 3 patients was combined). The ability of tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) to convert androstenedione was dem onstrated, as evaluated by hard-water release from the androgenic prec ursor (3)H(-)1 beta-androstenedione, In material obtained from menopau sal women this ability was higher than in the women of reproductive ag e. A positive correlation was revealed between the level of androstene dione conversion in TIL and aromatase activity in tumor tissue, while no correlation was shown between androstenedione conversion in TIL and percentage of tumor cells in lymphocytic suspension. The data obtaine d suggest that factors secreted by a neoplasm are able to induce aroma tase gene expression in TIL. Int. J. Cancer 77:485-487; 1998. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.