Association between cell membrane potential and breast cancer.

Cell membrane potentials were measured in breast tissue and in breast epithelial cells to explore the relation between cell membrane potentials, oncogenesis and electrical potentials previously measured on the surface of the breast. The mean membrane potential in breast biopsy tissue from 9 women with infiltrating ductal carcinoma was significantly depolarized, compared with values measured in tissue from 8 women with benign breast disease. Depolarization was also observed in transformed breast epithelial cells, compared with normal breast cells; the transformed cells were particularly sensitive to the action of K+ channel blockers. The results were consistent with previous observations of electropositivity of skin sites over malignant tumors of the breast.