title: Immunohistochemical estrogen receptor assay: quantitation by image analysis.
abstract: The immunohistochemical estrogen receptor (ER) assay quantitated by image analysis was compared with the biochemical dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) assay in 97 primary breast carcinomas. Frozen sections immunostained for ER with a monoclonal antibody (ER-ICA; Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL) and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique were scored semiquantitatively by microscopy (HSCORE) and quantitatively [percentage of nuclear area immunopositivity (PNA)] using the CAS 200 image analyzer (Elmhurst, IL). There was a significant and identical correlation between DCC and both HSCORE and PNA. According to sensitivity/specificity calculations, the cut-off points of 10 for HSCORE and 1% for PNA were chosen with positive and negative predictive values of 97.7% and 74.5%, respectively. Low DCC-positive cases between 10 and 50 fmol of ER/mg of protein were immunohistochemically ER positive only in 61.5%. Immunohistochemical results of greater than 150 HSCORE and greater than 15% PNA corresponded to high DCC results of greater than 150 fmol/mg of protein. Immunohistochemical assay quantitated by image analyzer (PNA) is a comparable alternative to biochemical ER, especially when insufficient fresh tissue is available.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: el-Badawy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: DeRose
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sgoutas
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen