title: Expression of epidermal growth factor receptors in human endometrial carcinoma.
abstract: Little data exist on the expression of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGF-Rs) in human endometrial cancer. EGF-R status was studied in 65 patients with endometrial carcinomas and in 26 women with nonmalignant postmenopausal endometria, either inactive/atrophic endometrium or adenomatous hyperplasia. EGF-R was identified on frozen tissue sections by means of an indirect immunoperoxidase technique with a monoclonal antibody against the external domain of the EGF-R. Seventy-one percent of the carcinomas expressed positive EGF-R immunoreactivity. In general, staining was most prominent at the cell membranes, with a varying pattern in individual carcinomas. EGF-R expression was not correlated with histologic grade, surgical stage, or estrogen/progesterone receptor status evaluated immunohistochemically or biochemically in adjacent tissue sections of the tumor. Ten of 13 (77%) atrophic/inactive endometria and seven of 13 (54%) endometria with adenomatous hyperplasia were EGF-R positive, with an immunostaining pattern rather similar to that of the carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Nyholm
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ottesen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D066246:ErbB Receptors