title: Association between steroid hormone receptors and response rate to cytotoxic chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer.
abstract: The influence of steroid hormone receptors on response rate to cytotoxic chemotherapy in 70 patients with metastatic breast cancer was determined in a retrospective study. We have previously reported that 34 of 45 patients with tumors containing low or absent estrogen-receptor values had objective responses to chemotherapy while three of 25 patients with positive estrogen-receptor tumors responded. In the present study, 22 of 34 patients with low or absent progesterone-receptor tumors had an objective response to cytotoxic chemotherapy, while none of eight patients with a positive progesterone-receptor tumor responded (P less than 0.05). Patients having tumors with a negative estrogen receptor and a negative progesterone receptor had a response rate of 88% (21 of 24 patients). There were three patients whose tumors were estrogen-receptor negative but progesterone-receptor positive; none had a response to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy response was not associated with the presence or absence of either androgen or glucocorticoid receptor. We conclude that progesterone-receptor values in addition to estrogen-receptor status may prove to be important correlates of response to cytotoxic chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer. Androgen- and glucocorticoid-receptor analyses are not helpful in predicting response to chemotherapy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D011987:Receptors, Steroid