A study of cytoplasmic and nuclear estrogen and progestin receptors in gynecologic neoplasms (original) (raw)
Related papers
International Journal of Cancer, 1980
Some human ovarian malignancies respond favorably to hormone therapy. In order to obtain more information about the endocrine properties of these malignancies, we measured estrogen (ER) and progestin (PR) receptors in 2 I malignant ovarian tumors, and compared the findings with those in 29 benign tumors and 28 tumor-like ovarian lesions. There were marked differences in steroid receptor distributions between the three groups. Only 38 % of the malignant tumors simultaneously contained measurable amounts of both receptors, whereas the corresponding figure was 76 % for the benign tumors. Malignant tumors were more often (29 %) receptor-negative than the benign ones (7 %). The major difference in the tumor-like lesions was the high frequency (43 %) of samples containing PR only, as compared with the two other groups. The respective concentrations (fmol/mg cytosol protein, mean f SEM) of ER and PR were I14 f 42 and 148 f 76 (malignant tumors), 71 f 34 and 132 2 32 (benign tumors) and 19 f I 6 and 25 I f 88 (tumor-like lesions). Of the malignant tumors, endometrioid carcinoma was characterized by a relatively high mean PR content (330 ? 262), whereas in undifferentiated carcinoma a high ER content (I49 k 97) was associated with a low PR concentration (26 f IS). Steroid receptor content was very similar in benign epithelial tumors with different histological properties.
Cancer research, 1980
The qualitative and quantitative relationships between cytoplasmic estrogen receptors (ERC), total nuclear estrogen receptors (ERN), and cytoplasmic progesterone receptors (PGR) in 74 primary and 23 metastatic human breast cancer tissues were studied. A positive correlation between the age of th patients and the receptor concentration was found only for ERC. Although ERN and PGR were more frequent in tumors with a higher level of ERC, there was no significant correlation between concentrations of either ERN or PGR and ERC. However, PGR were more frequent in ERN-positive than in ERN-negative tumors, irrespective of the presence of ERC. There was also a highly significant correlation between PGR and ERN concentrations. These findings support the assumption that induction of PGR by estrogen in human breast cancer is mediated by a mechanism involving nuclear receptors. Therefore, the ERN assay might increase the validity of steroid receptor determination for prediction of hormonal sensi...
Estrogen and progesterone receptors in human ovarian tumors
Gynecologic Oncology, 1983
Estrogen and progesterone receptors were measured in cystosols prepared from 32 normal ovaries and 25 benign and 49 malignant ovarian tumors. In normal ovarian tissue, estrogen and progesterone receptors were detected in 22 and 75% of specimens, respectively. Estrogen receptors were present in low concentrations ranging from 2 to 9 fmol/mg cytosol protein. The estrogen receptor content and distribution were similar in benign tumors (20%), but progesterone receptors were significantly decreased in 16% of specimens (P < 0.001). In malignant ovarian tissues, estrogen receptors were present in 57% of specimens in concentrations ranging from 1 to 132 fmol/mg cytosol protein. Of these, 72% of tissues had estrogen-receptor concentrations greater than 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein. The presence of estrogen receptors in ovarian cancer was significantly different from normal ovaries and benign tumor tissues (P < 0.01). Progesterone receptors were detectable in 29% of ovarian cancer specimens. Estrogen and progesterone receptors were present alone or in combination, in 65% of ovarian cancers. The similarity in sex steroid content between ovarian and breast cancer warrants prospective studies of sex steroid receptor content in ovarian malignancies as a possible predictive index of survival and response to hormone therapy.
Estrogen and progesterone receptors in ovarian epithelial tumors
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 2004
Epidemiological studies have indicated a relationship between ovarian cancer and gonadal steroid hormones. In the present study immunohistochemical localization in combination with morphometry were used to characterize changes in the pattern of expression for estrogen receptor alpha (ER␣), estrogen receptor beta (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR), in epithelial cells of normal ovaries, and in benign, borderline and malignant ovarian tumors of different types (n = 53). Positive correlations with immunoreactivity of the cell proliferation-marker, Ki67, and the apoptosis-related marker of genetic instability, p53, between the different tumor types were also found. A simultaneous expression of ER␣, ER and PR in epithelial cells of all histopathological tumor types was noted, with the notable exception of all mucinous tumors who remained ER-positive, but ER␣-and PR-negative. Epithelial cells in ovarian cancer tissue showed significantly lower mean immunoreactivity of ER and PR, but not ER␣, than in normal ovarian tissue. These novel findings may provide a rationale for the development of new diagnostic and possibly therapeutic strategies.
Gynecologic Oncology, 1990
Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptor values in 105 endometrial carcinomas were compared using immunocytochemical and standard biochemical techniques. Peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining for location of anti-ER (H222) and anti-PgR (JZB39) primary antibodies was used to generate a semiquantitative (HSCORE) assessment of receptor content in tissue components and the total specimen. Both total HSCORE and cancer component HSCORE correlated with log biochemical assay values for ER and PgR. Biochemical assay values, total HSCORE, and cancer component HSCORES all demonstrated internal correlations between ER and PgR levels. Correlation was somewhat closer for cancer component HSCORE values of ER and PgR than the values for total tissue HSCORE. When receptor content was analyzed by histologic grade, all three estimates of receptor status demonstrated a decreasing proportion of ER and PgR positive lesions with decreasing histologic differentiation; however, the proportion of receptor negative lesions in grade 3 lesions was much higher when using total HSCORE or cancer component HSCORE than when using biochemical assay values (P < 0.005). Immunocytochemical techniques for localization of ER and PgR in endometrial carcinoma specimens may allow a more focused evaluation of the receptor content in the malignant elements than standard biochemical techniques. o 1990 Academic press, IX.
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 1989
Progesterone receptors were determined on frozen sections from 74 primary human breast tumors by an immunocytochemical assay using an indirect avidin-biotin peroxidase method. In the same tumors, cytosol estrogen (ERc) and progesterone receptors (PgRc) were determined by ligand binding assay, and nuclear estrogen (ERn) and progesterone receptors (PgRn) were determined by an immunoassay. Immunocytochemical staining was seen in 36% of tumors. It was predominantly nuclear and there was extensive cell to cell heterogeneity. When the immunocytochemical results were compared to PgRc the agreement rate was 63%, but it was 77% when compared to PgRn. About one third (38%) of PgRc positive tumors were immunocytochemically defined as negative. Thus a significant discordance exists between this immunocytochemical assay for PgR and both the conventional radioligand assay (used for PgRc) and the relatively new enzyme immunoassay (used for PgRn). However discordance rates were critically influenced by the arbitrary cutoff levels that were used to define receptor positivity in the biochemical assays. Our studies support the addition to, rather than the substitution of, immunocytochemical methods, to the conventional biochemical assays for PgR, until long-term follow-up studies of patients with PgRn and immunocytochemical PgR determinations become available.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1984
Histopathologically evaluated endometrial carcinomas were analyzed for the presence of estradiol and progesterone receptors and for tumor thymidine incorporation rate. Plasma estradiol and progesterone concentrations were also measured. With the use of an improved assay, all endometrial carcinomas were found to contain estradiol receptors; 81 of 92 (88%) contained measurable concentrations of progesterone receptors. The concentrations of both receptors were positively correlated to the degree of differentiation. The moderately and poorly differentiated tumors could be further divided into subgroups with low and high concentrations of receptors, which might be a reflection of an independent biologic characteristic of a tumor. These subgroups did not differ in any of the other variables studied, including the age of the patients. The plasma concentrations of estradiol showed a positive correlation to the degree of
Cytoplasmic steroid receptors in ovarian tumours
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1982
Cytoplasmic oestrogen receptors were measured in 40 primary and four secondary ovarian tumours; of these, 43 tumours were also analysed for cytoplasmic progesterone receptors and 34 tumours for cytoplasmic androgen receptors. Serous tumours were significantly more likely to be oestrogen-receptor positive than mucinous turnours, but the incidence of positive progesterone and androgen receptors was similar in serous, mucinous and endometrioid tumours. The mean oestrogen receptor content of serous tumours was significantly higher than that of endometrioid tumours. Well-differentiated epithelial tumours were significantly more likely to be oestrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor positive than less differentiated epithelial tumours. Two granulosa cell tumours were oestrogen-receptor positive and one of these was also progesteronereceptor and androgen-receptor positive. Four normal ovaries were also analysed for receptor content and two were found to be androgen-receptor positive. The presence of cytoplasmic receptors in ovarian tumours may explain their reported response to endocrine therapy.