Androgen and androgen-metabolizing enzymes in metastasized lymph nodes of breast cancer.

Androgen receptor and androgen metabolizing enzymes, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 5 (17βHSD5) and 5α-reductase1 (5α1), are frequently detected in primary tumor of breast cancer, but their status in metastatic lymph nodes has not been examined. The biological role of androgen in breast cancer and its metastatic process also remain unknown. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to localize the expression of androgen receptor, 17βHSD5, and 5α1 in primary tumors and paired metastatic lymph nodes and correlated the findings with clinicopathologic factors of individual patients.