Biochemically estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-positive breast carcinoma. Immunocytochemical hormone receptors and prognostic factors.
The significance of breast carcinomas biochemically negative (-) for estrogen receptor (ER), but positive (+) for progesterone receptor (PR), is poorly understood. It has been proposed that these tumors, more common in younger women, contain ER whose presence is masked in a biochemical binding assay by endogenous estrogen. Such tumors should be positive for ER by immunocytochemical assay. In a series of 319 tumors, 18 (5.6%) were biochemically ER-PR+. Patient age in this group (mean age, 59 years; range, 36 to 89 years) was slightly, but not significantly, lower than in patient groups with other receptor profiles. Only two (11%) of the 18 tumors were ER+ by immunocytochemical assay, not higher than the immunocytochemical ER positivity rate of seven (13%) of 62 biochemically ER-PR- tumors in the same series. Progesterone receptor was positive by immunocytochemistry in nine (50%) ER-PR+ tumors, lower than the rate in biochemically ER+PR+ tumors (158 [87%] of 181). The tumor size, histologic tumor grade, and S-phase fraction showed trends to be higher in biochemically ER-PR+ tumors than in ER+PR+ tumors. Biochemically ER-PR+ breast carcinomas are biologically different from ER+PR+ tumors.
Keshgegian
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AA
Department of Pathology, Bryn Mawr Hospital, PA 19010-3158.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone