Use of antibodies against estrogen and progesterone receptors to identify metastatic breast and ovarian carcinomas by conventional immunohistochemical and tyramide signal amplification methods.
The immunohistochemical detection of estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs) is useful for the differentiation of cytostatically treatable breast and ovarian carcinomas from other metastatic adenocarcinomas of unknown primary sites. We retrospectively studied metastases of 68 breast, 24 ovarian, 15 bronchogenic, 35 gastric, 22 pancreatic, 23 colonic, 27 renal cell, and 26 primary bronchogenic carcinomas by using a panel of 3 antibodies against ERs and 4 antibodies against PRs and applying both a conventional immunohistochemical detection method and the highly sensitive tyramide signal amplification (TSA) technique. Antibody 6F11 against ERs was slightly more sensitive than clone 1D5 with both detection methods, staining 5% more breast carcinomas and 4% more ovarian carcinomas with TSA, compared with conventional immunohistochemical analysis. Furthermore, clone 6F11 detected ERs in 4 of 26 primary bronchogenic carcinomas and 1 of 35 metastases of gastric carcinomas with conventional immunohistochemical techniques; an additional 9 primary and 6 metastatic bronchogenic carcinomas and 2 metastatic gastric carcinomas were positive with TSA. The resulting specificities for breast and ovarian carcinomas versus all other carcinomas were 0.97 with conventional immunohistochemical techniques and 0.85 with TSA. Antibody 1A6 against PRs was slightly more sensitive but least specific for breast and ovarian carcinomas (specificity was 0.96 with conventional immunohistochemical methods and 0.91 with TSA), compared with antibody hPRa3 and a polyclonal antibody (specificity was 1.00 with both detection methods). Antibodies TE111 against ERs and 10A9 against PRs were significantly less sensitive than the other antibodies. We conclude that TSA cannot be recommended for the detection of ERs and PRs to differentiate breast and ovarian carcinomas from other metastatic adenocarcinomas of unknown primary sites.
Kaufmann
O
O
Institute of Pathology, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany.
Köther
S
S
Dietel
M
M
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000032:analysis*; D019921:Biotinylation; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000556:secondary*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000556:secondary*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000276:immunology*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014439:Tyramine / Q000032:analysis*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D014439:Tyramine