ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTORS IN BREAST-CANCER - RELATIONSHIPS TO TUMOR HISTOPATHOLOGY AND SURVIVAL OF PATIENTS

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 4  (6) , 383-389
Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) concentrations were measured in the tumors of 399 cases of primary breast carcinoma. Histological type and histological grading was also analyzed. The correlation between survival and histological grading was of high significance statistically. Longer survival of patients with ER- and/or PR-positive tumors was also observed, but the ER and PR prognostic value did not reach the same magnitude as histology alone. The prognostic accuracy in breast cancer when histologically grading, ER and PR were used together failed to reach statistically significant values. A lower proportion of ER- and PR-positive tumors was found in histological grade III. The majority of the tumors belonging to specific histological variants of carcinoma were ER- and/or PR-positive. Relationships between ER, PR, menopausal status and age were also noted. The prognostic value of PR concentrations in the tumor was more relevant than that of ER alone.