title: Oestrogen receptor assay of breast cancer by immunocytochemistry of fine needle aspirates.
abstract: Sixty-five patients with operable breast cancer were studied to assess the reliability of immunocytochemical analysis of oestrogen receptor (ER-ICA) in specimens obtained by percutaneous fine needle aspiration. Results obtained with the commercially available ER-ICA kit were compared with those obtained by the routine biochemical radioligand assay of oestrogen receptor (ER) on excised tumour specimens. Fifty-two of 65 percutaneous aspirates were evaluable. Of these, thirty-five (67%) were ER positive by the radioligand method. ER-ICA was found to be a reliable method for oestrogen receptor assay, with a high concordance (90.4%) between it and the radioligand essay. The ER-ICA assay had a sensitivity of 89%, specificity of 94%, positive predictive value of 97% and negative predictive value of 80%. ER-ICA assay performed on material obtained by fine-needle aspiration is a reliable method of ER assay. It can replace formal biopsy for patients with inoperable primary tumours or accessible metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Kitchen
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Stillwell
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Rennie
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayberk
mesh_terms: D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000592:standards; D011869:Radioligand Assay / Q000592:standards; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen