Estrogen and progesterone receptors in human breast cancer. Correlation with histologic subtype and degree of differentiation

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Abstract
Microscopic review of 490 consecutive human breast biopsy and mastectomy specimens were correlated with estrogen and progesterone receptor content of the tissue, by subtype and degree of differentiation. Of the 4 grades of differentiation, the less differentiated Grade III and IV tumors showed significantly lower levels of estrogen and progesterone receptors in infiltrating ductal and lobular carcinoma (P < 0.001). In contrast, patients with medullary carcinoma had the lowest tissue levels of estrogen and progesterone receptors with approximately 80% of the cases with less than 10 fmol/mg protein. Patients with mucinous carcinoma had the highest percentages of positive estrogen and progesterone receptor levels (75% and 87%, respectively). Sixty-three percent of the patients with Grade IV infiltrating ductal carcinoma were younger than 53 years of age (P < 0.001). Patients younger than 53 years of age with Grade II and III infiltrating ductal carcinoma also had significantly lower levels of estrogen receptors, but not of progesterone receptors, than those patients older than 53 years of age (P < 0.001). Nineteen of 20 “normal” breast tissue specimens were negative (10 fmol/mg protein) or progesterone receptor values. In two patients with gynecomastia, no estrogen or progesterone receptors were detectable. Cancer 58:1076-1081, 1986.