title: Analysis of estrogen and progesterone receptors on preoperative fine-needle aspirates.
abstract: For 56 cases of carcinoma of the breast, results of the immunocytochemical assay for estrogen and progesterone receptors performed on preoperative fine-needle aspirates were compared with those obtained on scraping material from the same tumors. The value and usefulness of this last analysis was demonstrated in a previous study. The level of agreement between the two cytological techniques was assessed by the k statistic. A high level of agreement was found, with k values of 0.909 and 0.889 for estrogen and progesterone receptors, respectively. The results reported here revealed the reliability of steroid receptor determination on fine-needle aspiration biopsies, provided that sufficient cellularity was available. This technique can replace the open biopsy procedure, in as much as it represents a rapid, almost painless, and easily repeated method for the assessment of the receptor status, and is useful for treatment decisions at any time during the course of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Anatomical Pathology and Cytology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frigo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pilotti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zurrida
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ermellino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manzari
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rilke
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone