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Purpose: A large, randomized study comparing the efficacy and safety of topotecan versus paclitaxel in patients with relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer showed that these two compounds have similar activity. In this study, a number of patients crossed over to the alternative drug as third-line therapy, ie, from paclitaxel to topotecan and vice versa. We therefore were able to assess the degree of non-cross-resistance between these two compounds., Patients and Methods: Patients who had progressed after one platinum-based regimen were randomized to either topotecan (1.5 mg/m(2)/d) x 5 every 21 days (n = 112) or paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2) over 3 hours) every 21 days (n = 114). A total of 110 patients received cross-over therapy with the alternative drug (61 topotecan, 49 paclitaxel) as third-line therapy., Results: Response rates to third-line cross-over therapy were 13.1% (8 of 61 topotecan) and 10.2% (5 of 49 paclitaxel; P =.638). Seven patients who responded to third-line topotecan and four patients who responded to paclitaxel had failed to respond to their second-line treatment. Median time to progression (from the start of third-line therapy) was 9 weeks in both groups, and median survival was 40 and 48 weeks for patients who were receiving topotecan or paclitaxel, respectively. The principal toxicity was myelosuppression; grade 4 neutropenia was more frequent with topotecan (81.4% of patients) than with paclitaxel (22.9% of patients)., Conclusion: Topotecan and paclitaxel have similar activity as second-line therapies with regard to response rates and progression-free and overall survival. We demonstrated that the two drugs have a degree of non-cross-resistance. Thus, there is a good rationale for incorporating these drugs into future first-line regimens.

Purpose: In 1986, The Fédération Nationale desCentres de Lutte Contre le Cancer Breast Group initiated a multicenter randomized trial to assess the usefulness of long-term adjuvant tamoxifen treatment. Short-term adjuvant tamoxifen treatment was to be compared with life long adjuvant tamoxifen treatment., Patients and Methods: Patients who were disease-free after 2 to 3 years of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment were eligible for the trial. From September 1986 to May 1995, 3,793 patients were randomized from France, Belgium, and Argentina. A total of 1,882 patients stopped tamoxifen (short-term group), and 1,911 patients were to continue tamoxifen for life (long-term group) at the same dose as previously prescribed. The protocol was modified in February 1997, limiting tamoxifen treatment to 10 years after randomization, thus giving a comparison between a 2- to 3-year treatment and a 12- to 13-year treatment. To date, the median duration of tamoxifen treatment is 30 months in the short-term group, and 70 months in the long-term group., Results: Overall, longer tamoxifen treatment induced a 23% reduction in relapse rates, leading to a 7-year disease-free survival rate of 78%, compared with 72% in the shorter-treatment group. In contrast, overall survival did not differ between the two groups, with a 79% overall survival rate in both groups. This improvement in disease-free survival could be observed in node-positive patients (P: =.001); however, it was not found in node-negative patients. Prolonged tamoxifen treatment corresponded to a significant increase in disease-free survival in estrogen receptor-positive patients (P: =.03) as well as in estrogen receptor-negative patients (P: =.05). Furthermore, longer treatment reduced contralateral breast cancers and did not increase the number of endometrial cancers., Conclusion: Although no survival advantage was noted, patients did benefit from longer tamoxifen treatment over 3 years and had significantly better disease-free survival compared with patients who stopped hormonal treatment. Long-term follow-up is needed to assess these results. Most patients in the long-term group are still receiving treatment. Comparison of results as time passes will enable conclusions to be made on the value of long-term treatment over 5 years compared with 2 to 3 years.

Background: Some patients undergo laparoscopy without optimal debulking surgery as initial treatment for advanced ovarian carcinoma. The amount of residual tumor following primary surgery is an important prognosis factor. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a new therapeutic approach. Secondary, optimal surgery could be done in better conditions., Purpose: To access the ability of preoperative abdominopelvic CT to predict success of debulking surgery for ovarian carcinoma: less than 1cm of residual tumor size after initial surgery., Materials and Methods: We reviewed 39 patients (two stage Ic, 1 stage IIc, 22 stage III and 14 stage IV) operated on for ovarian carcinoma between January 1992 and December 1997. Surgical criteria of inability to perform optimal surgical cytoreduction were compared with abdominopelvic CT done the month before. CT scans were prospectively assessed by radiologist A and retrospectively (3 months to 6 years delay) reviewed separately by radiologists A and B without surgical data., Results: Nineteen patients underwent optimal debulking surgery: 13 no residual tumor and 6 with residual lesions under 1cm. The interreader (0.73) and intrareader (0.9) agreement, worked out by Kappa coefficient, was judged good to very good. The sensitivity of CT was 91% with a specificity of 95%., Conclusion: These results allowed us to determine which CT criteria were accurate and reproducible to be a helpful for therapeutic choice and to avoid laparotomy without optimal surgery.

Unlabelled: Twenty-eight patients (12 men with prostate cancer, 16 women with breast cancer) were included in a phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy of 186Re-hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (HEDP) on pain from bone metastasis and the toxicity of this agent., Methods: After intravenous administration of 1295 MBq 186Re-HEDP, the efficacy was evaluated by means of a daily log., Results: We observed an objective response in 67% of prostate cancer patients and in 36% of breast cancer patients. The mean duration of response was 45 d for prostate cancer patients and 24 d for breast cancer patients. No major adverse effects were observed. Marrow toxicity did not exceed grade 2 for white blood cells and grade 3 for platelets using National Cancer Institute criteria., Conclusion: 186Re-HEDP provides safe symptomatic relief of pain in prostate cancer patients. The benefit of this treatment is less clear in breast cancer patients. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate treatment by 186Re-HEDP at an earlier stage of the disease.

Some patients underwent laparoscopy without optimal debulking surgery as initial treatment for advanced ovarian carcinoma. The amount of residual tumor following primary surgery was an important prognosis factor. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a new therapeutic approach. Secondary, optimal surgery could be done in better conditions. The purpose was to access the ability of preoperative abdominopelvic CT to predict success of debulking surgery for ovarian carcinoma: less than 1 cm of residual tumor size after initial surgery. We reviewed 39 patients (2 stages Ic, 1 stage IIc, 22 stages III and 14 stages IV) operated on for ovarian carcinoma between January 1992 and December 1997. Surgical criteria of inability to perform optimal surgical cytoreduction were compared with abdominopelvic CT done the month before. CT scans were prospectively assessed by radiologist A and retrospectively (3 months to 6 years delay) rewiewed separately by radiologists A and B without surgical data. Nineteen patients underwent optimal debulking surgery: 13 no residual tumor and 6 with residual lesions under 1 cm. The interreader (0.73) and intrareader (0.9) agreement, worked out by Kappa coefficient, was juged good to very good. The sensitivity of CT was 91% with a specificity of 95%. These results allowed us to determine wich CT criteria were accurate and reproducible to be a helpfull for therapeutic choice and to avoid laparotomy without optimal surgery.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy and tolerability of irinotecan (CPT-11) in advanced or recurrent cervical carcinoma., Patients and Methods: Eligible patients had histologically confirmed, inoperable, progressive, metastatic or recurrent squamous cell cervical carcinoma and had received no radiotherapy in the preceding 3 months and had never received chemotherapy. The initial irinotecan dosage of 350 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks was modifiable according to toxicity. Treatment continued for six cycles after complete response, or until disease progression or excessive toxicity after partial response, or for three additional cycles in the case of stable disease. Patients were stratified into group A (>/= one measurable lesion in a previously unirradiated area, with or without progressive disease in irradiated fields) or group B (measurable new lesion[s] in an irradiated field)., Results: Fifty-one of 55 enrolled patients were eligible for inclusion (median age, 47 years; range, 30 to 71 years). The response rate was 15.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.0% to 28.6%) overall, 23.5% (95% CI, 10.7% to 41.2%) for group A (complete response, 2.9%), and zero for group B. The median time to progression and median survival were 4.0 and 8.2 months for group A and 2.5 and 4.2 months for group B, respectively. The major grade 3/4 toxicities for groups A and B were diarrhea (24.3% and 55.5%, respectively) and neutropenia (24.3% and 33.3%, respectively). There were four toxicity-related deaths, three in group B. Patients with no prior external pelvic irradiation experienced fewer grade 3 and 4 adverse events., Conclusion: Irinotecan is effective in treating cervical squamous cell carcinoma if disease is located in an unirradiated area. Because of toxicity, a reduced dose is advised for patients previously treated with external pelvic irradiation.

Since there is a lack of common family profile among BRCA1-gene carriers, and since the risk of being a mutation carrier is not limited to women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, multivariate statistical analysis using the logistic-regression model was carried out, to discriminate between sporadic cases and BRCA1-breast cancers (BRCA1-BCs), especially when information about the family history of breast/ovarian cancer and ethnicity are irrelevant or unavailable, in order to offer specific medical treatment to this population. We examined 32 BRCA1-BCs selected at cancer genetic clinics and 200 consecutive controls without family history of breast cancer for age at onset and current morphological parameters. Following the multivariate analysis, 3 parameters only, namely, early age at cancer onset [odds ratio (OR) for each year = 1.16; p < 0.0001], estrogen-receptor negativity (OR = 5.7; p = 0.01) and poor differentiation (OR = 5; p = 0.03) were found significant factors for predicting BRCA1-carrier status. The expected impact in BRCA1 screening of our model was estimated using data on 5700 breast-cancer cases from a hospital-based registry. Only 50 and 15% of tumours with early age at onset below 35 years present one or the other 2 discriminant parameters respectively. Consequently, whereas the probability of finding a BRCA1 mutation is rated low (6.2%) when the sole criterion of early onset up to the age of 35 years is used, based on our model, in the sub-group of women with a tumor that is both estrogen-receptor-negative and poorly differentiated the mutation-detection rate is predicted to be above the 10% chance level recommended by the ASCO guidelines. This sub-group of women, representing about 1% of all breast-cancer cases in Western countries, consequently deserves to be tested.

This regional survey was aimed to detect hypothetical variations in attitudes among truth telling in colon cancer by an anonymous questionnaire sent to the 290 gastroenterologists, surgeons and oncologists of the Northern France area. The answers were assessed as always (A), often (O), rarely and never. Diagnosis was revealed to the patient (whether or not he asked the question) or to his spouse in 83%, 40% and 93% of the cases, respectively. The diagnosis of diffuse metastasis was revealed (A + O) to the patient or to his spouse in 23% and 95% of the cases, respectively. Only 3% of the physicians told (A + O) the patient that his condition was incurable while this aspect was A + O revealed to the patient's spouse in 34% of the cases. Most of the time, the diagnosis of colon cancer was revealed by oncologists rather than by surgeons or gastroenterologists. Conversely the full truth was more commonly told to the family by surgeons and gastroenterologists than by oncologists. We found variation in attitudes towards truth telling in colon cancer which depend on the physician's specialty. It seems to us that the magnitude of the full truth told to the patient or his family in Northern France area, is somewhat intermediate between the attitude of doctors in Northern Europe and in Latin Mediterranean or Eastern Europe countries.

This regional survey was aimed to detect hypothetical variations in attitudes among truth telling in colon cancer by an anonymous questionnaire sent to the 290 gastroenterologists, surgeons and oncologists of the Northern France area. The answers were assessed as always (A), often (O), rarely and never. Diagnosis was revealed to the patient (whether or not he asked the question) or to his spouse in 83%, 40% and 93% of the cases, respectively. The diagnosis of diffuse metastasis was revealed (A + O) to the patient or to his spouse in 23% and 95% of the cases, respectively. Only 3% of the physicians told (A + O) the patient that his condition was incurable while this aspect was A + O revealed to the patient's spouse in 34% of the cases. Most of the time, the diagnosis of colon cancer was revealed by oncologists rather than by surgeons or gastroenterologists. Conversely the full truth was more commonly told to the family by surgeons and gastroenterologists than by oncologists. We found variation in attitudes towards truth telling in colon cancer which depend on the physician's speciality. It seems to us that the magnitude of the full truth told to the patient or his family in Northern France area, is somewhat intermediate between the attitude of doctors in Northern Europe and in Latin Mediterranean or Eastern Europe countries.

Purpose: To evaluate the results of an abdomino-pelvic scan in cancers of the ovary in comparison with surgery., Material and Methods: We reviewed the observations concerning patients operated on for malignant tumors of the ovary between January 1992 and April 1995 in our anti-cancer center. We selected 32 patients who had had both a complete surgical abdominal exploration (laparotomy or laparoscopy) and an abdominal pelvic scan in the preceding months. We divided the abdomen into 33 areas and compared the scan of each with the surgical findings. Two cancer radiologists, including one gynecology specialist, studied the imaging separately. Neither knew the results of the surgical observations., Results: Imaging findings varied with localization tumor size and presence or not of ascites radiologists. For certain localization, detection of lesions was difficult for both readers (pancreas, spleen, stomach), for others, recognition improved with experience (bowel, diaphragm, colon)., Conclusion: The clinician must be aware of the variability of ovarian cancer assessment by CT scan, particularly if imaging alone is being used to guide treatment.

The BRCA1 gene modification is responsible for an autosomal dominant syndrome of inherited early onset breast and/or ovarian cancer. This gene is estimated to account for almost half of inherited breast cancers and three quarters of inherited breast/ovarian cancers. This suggests that about 1 out of 500 women may carry BRCA1 mutation. The BRCA1 gene was isolated by positional cloning in 1994. More than 100 different mutations have been found in the germline of affected individuals. We looked by systematic sequencing at BRCA1 germline mutations in 36 patients treated at the Centre Oscar-Lambret for breast and/or ovarian cancer and that belonged to high risk families. We have found 24 mutations: 9 true mutations inducing modifications of the BRCA1 protein (BRCA1+), 5 mutations with unknown consequences on the BRCA1 protein and 10 mutations corresponding to polymorphisms that had been previously described. All the BRCA1+ cases had a HPG3 tumor. The median age of discovery and the receptor positivity percentage are lower in hereditary breast cancer than in the standard population of the breast cancers treated in our center. Consequently, BRCA1 mutations are associated to parameters thought to be of bad prognosis.

We report the case of a patient who was admitted in hospital for evaluation of a superior vena cava thrombosis. The patient exhibited an activated protein C resistance due to an arginine-506 mutation in factor V. Thoracic CT-scan showed a non-compressive complete superior vena cava thrombosis. Other investigations revealed a pleural effusion associated with an ovarian tumor. Pathological data of pleural biopsies showed a papillar carcinoma. Ovarian neoplasia revealed by a paraneoplasic syndrome was diagnosed. Treatment associated cyclophosphamide and carboplatin with anti-K-vitamin was administrated, with a complete remission and disappearance of superior vena cava thrombosis at 27 months of evolution. At this date, we observed a local pelvis recurrence which was treated with paclitaxel associated with surgery.

Objective: The aim of this study was to know the wishes of our patients for information and to compare them with the point of view of our colleagues in a cancer center., Methods: We gave 100 consecutive new patients with breast cancer a questionnaire about their needs. The same questionnaire was given in duplicate to all our colleagues in the cancer center (n = 53) asking: 1) their own needs of information if they had breast cancer 2) how they thought the patients would answer., Results: Seventy-five percent of the patients and 81% of the doctors returned the questionnaire (28 were men and 15 women; 81% were involved in the management of breast cancer). On one hand, concerning information about the disease and about the treatment, there was no difference between the needs expressed by patients of doctors (as patients). As expected, the two groups wanted to be well informed. On the other hand, there was always a statistically significant difference between the needs expressed by patients and the opinion of doctors who systematically underestimated them. Concerning information to the family, 21% of doctors and only 4% of patients didn't want any information to be given to their family. Interestingly, 67% of the patients thought the decision had to be taken together with the doctor and 56% of the doctors (as patients) wished the decision to be taken by the doctor., Conclusion: Patients and physicians if they were patients, expressed the same high level need of information, but the patients needs seemed underestimated by the majority of doctors.

We looked for germline mutations of exons 5 to 8 of the P53 gene in 27 female patients from 26 families originating from the north of France who had breast cancer and at least one first degree relative also affected with breast cancer. Detection of the mutations was made by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. No mutation was found in any patient, confirming that germline mutations of the P53 gene are very rare in familial breast cancer (apart from Li Fraumeni families).

To appreciate the IGF1 sensitivity of breast tumors we detected IGF1-R with a biochemical assay (RRA). We then localized and quantified IGF1-R on frozen tissue sections by histo-autoradiographic analysis (HAA). In some cases, the IGF1 and IGF1-R mRNA expression were studied by Northern blot analysis. We also studied the IGF1 plasma concentration in primary breast cancers compared to controls. IGF1-R (RRA) were found in 87% (n = 297) of the breast cancers. The mean geometric value was 3.87% (specific binding as percentage of total radioactivity); we found a highly significant correlation between IGF1-R and ER on the one hand (P = 0.0001) and PgR on the other (P = 0.0001) (Spearman test). The presence of IGF1-R was associated with a better prognosis, either on relapse-free survival (actuarial analysis: P = 0.004; Cox analysis: P = 0.005) or overall survival (respectively P = 0.003; P = 0.005). The median duration of follow-up was 30 months. By Cox analysis IGF1-R was a better prognostic factor than ER and PgR. In a series of 77 cases of benign breast disease only 47% (36/77) were positive; the mean geometric level was 1.8%. The HAA IGF1-R quantification in 20 breast carcinomas and 12 cases of benign breast disease confirmed the RRA results and demonstrated that the labeling was localized on the epithelial component. In four breast cancers, we did not detect IGF1 mRNA; IGF1-R probe demonstrated two major mRNAs of 11 and 7 kB. Finally we found that IGF1 plasma level was higher in breast cancer patients than in healthy controls of the same age. These results show that IGF1 is implicated in breast cancer growth and suggest that anti-IGF1 treatment might be useful in human breast cancer: for this reason, we and others carried out a phase II clinical trial with somatostatin.

The steroid receptor (ER, PgR) content of breast cancer specimens is now widely used as an indicator for hormone sensitivity which is a prerequisite for endocrine therapy. Is it conceivable to extend this steroid receptor determination to other types of tumors in order to select patients who would eventually benefit from an hormonal therapy? It seems that most normal or tumoral tissues contain detectable amount of steroid receptors. The values of each receptor comprise a continuum from very low to relatively high, suggesting that previous considerations of hormone dependence on the basis of presence or absence of hormone receptors may be oversimplified. The steroid receptor concentrations are however higher in target tissues, and could be of clinical interest in endometrium and prostatic cancers. The date are however insufficient to draw firm conclusions regarding their usefulness for treatment.

Sixteen post-menopausal patients with advanced breast cancer were treated with a long acting somatostatin analogue, SMS 201-995 (Sandostatin): 0.1 mg bid sub-cutaneously. The dose was chosen on the basis of efficiency in acromegaly treatment. SMS 201-995 activity was evaluated assaying Insulin Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) plasma concentration. A merely partial IGF1 decrease was noted. To be evaluable for response, patients had to be treated for at least 30 days. Among the 14 evaluable patients, we observed no response to SMS 201-995. However, we noted tumor stabilization in 3 patients after a 90 days treatment period. Side-effects were very mild. This first report on SMS 201-995 treatment of breast cancer suggests that further studies evaluating the effect of other modes of administration or drug association should be warranted.

Eight cases of malignant melanoma developed during childhood have been recorded over a 35-year period. Treatment and course of the disease were extremely variable. Melanomas developed on giant pigmented naevi had a particularly somber prognosis: death occurred within 6, 7 and 3 months respectively in the 3 cases observed. In the 5 remaining cases, the course of the melanoma seemed to be about the same as in adults. The main difficulty resides in the clinical and histopathological diagnosis at that age: although most lesions are benign, uncertainty is not permissible, and in doubtful cases the tumour must be rapidly removed and examined.

The literature suggests that the frequency of Dupuytren's disease is ten times greater in diabetes than in the general population. We have studied 42 diabetic patients with a contracture of the palmar fascia. Dupuytren's contracture can be considered a complication of diabetes and of the local neurovascular changes since both are often associated. The contracture is usually not severe in diabetes, is nodular in form, and usually crushes the palmar surface of the long and ring fingers. It is usually well tolerated by the patients and surgery is rarely indicated, particularly in view of the advanced age of many patients. In caring for patients with Dupuytren's disease, surgeons should also rule out the presence of diabetes with appropriate test.

Intratumoral (cervix uterine tumors) distribution of platinum was studied in ten patients after IV administration of CDDP. Sequential tumoral measurement of platinum was carried out 4, 24, and 48 h after the IV infusion. Platinum concentration in the tumor samples ranged from 0 to 29,5 ng/mg tissue. For all patients, there was no definite evolution of the tumoral concentration with time and there was no good relation for the same patient between the platinum concentration in three successive biopsies. These results involve uncertainty in studies attempting to relate CDDP tumor levels (measured in one biopsy) and tumor response to chemotherapy.

The therapeutic modifications induced by pretreatment evaluation were studied in a consecutive series of 852 asymptomatic women with newly diagnosed primary breast cancer attending our center between 1980 and 1984. Staging tests included chest X-rays in 851 patients, bone X-rays in 831, alkaline phosphatase in 826, hepatic enzymes in 818, liver echography in 750 and bone scintigraphy in 504. The intended local treatment was changed for a systemic one in 8 patients due to suspicious abnormalities. The follow-up confirmed evidence of metastases in 6 out of 8 patients (bone: 4; liver: 1; lung: 1). Mastectomy, initially avoided in these 6 patients, was subsequently performed in 2 of them owing to slow progression of distant metastases. On the basis of the current study, pretreatment staging in asymptomatic primary breast cancer cannot be recommended due to the low prevalence of detectable metastases.

Breast-cancer tissue from 38 patients was tested for prolactin sensitivity by measuring both 16-hour (3H)dT incorporation in tissue fragments during 24-hour organ cultures, and prolactin receptors in tumor specimens. We observed a stimulation of DNA synthesis by prolactin in 6/38 (16%) cases; the stimulation was maximum with physiological concentrations of prolactin (0.05 to 0.2 microgram/ml medium). The stimulation of DNA synthesis never occurred in the absence of prolactin receptors. There is no relation between the response to prolactin and estradiol or progesterone receptor levels, but in four cases the stimulation was observed when the three receptors were present. Finally, the response to the stimulation was independent of the clinical stage of the patient.

We have investigated the effect of bromocriptin, a prolactin-lowering drug, on prolactin, estradiol and progesterone receptors in breast cancers. Doses of 2.5 mg per os of bromocriptin were given twice daily for 4 days before surgery. The efficiency of the treatment was evaluated by assaying the plasma prolactin level. The results obtained for the treated population (n = 30) was compared to those obtained for an untreated one (n = 120) during the same period. Bromocriptin does not increase the available prolactin receptors in breast cancer specimens. Unmasking in vitro receptors with MgCl2 3 M leads in both cases to an increase in prolactin receptors. The number of positive estradiol receptor tumors was increased after bromocriptin treatment. Neither the rate of positivity nor the level of progesterone receptors is changed by the treatment. This study demonstrates clearly the inefficiency of bromocriptin in unmasking in vivo prolactin receptors in breast cancer.

cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum (100 mg/m2) was administered to the same patients (n = 9) with advanced uterine cervical tumors, via i.v. and intraarterial (i.a.) (bilateral hypogastric arteries) routes. Measurement of plasma pharmacokinetic parameters enabled us to show up areas under the curve (AUC) of free cis-diamminedichloroplatinum versus time significantly (P less than 0.01) lower after i.a. injection (mean value, 3.9 mg.h/liter) than after i.v. injection (mean value, 5 mg.h/liter). However, the increase in intratumoral concentrations after i.a. administration was only at the limit of statistical significance (P = 0.05). Consequently, the benefit of local i.a. administration, evaluated according to the method of Collins, was small (1.2-2.3). An explanation of the phenomena observed can be given using the generalized compartmental model of Collins. We have demonstrated that the parameters of this model can be entirely calculated by taking into account both the i.v. and i.a. pharmacokinetic measurements. Calculations from experimental data of the model parameters, clearances of the body (ClB), and exchange rate between the site of administration and the rest of the body (Q) were in accordance with the physiological values. On the basis of the parameter values, it was confirmed that the low benefit of i.a. administration was due to the fast blood exchange between the injection site and the rest of the body and the probable cis-diamminedichloroplatinum binding on healthy tissues irrigated by the hypogastric artery.

A light protein of breast cyst fluid from women with gross cystic disease, termed GCDFP-15 in the literature, has been investigated. This light protein was purified by preparative electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel. Its isoelectric point has been determined as 3.75 and its molecular weight has been estimated at 17 400. The light protein was a glycoprotein containing about 163 amino acid residues; the glucidic fraction corresponded to 11% of the molecular weight. The N-terminal amino acid was blocked and the C-terminal amino acid was determined as valine. Antisera raised against this light protein have proved to be specific. In the literature, there is evidence suggesting that apocrine secretion is of prime importance in conditioning the biochemical composition of breast cyst fluid. Further information is needed to substantiate the hypothesis that in gross cystic disease the apocrine epithelium itself or some of its functional aspects are associated with the risk of neoplasia. The physicochemical characterization of the breast cyst fluid protein can contribute to the study of its biosynthesis and provide a better understanding of the physiopathology of gross cystic disease and its relationship to breast carcinoma.