title: The effect of 3-week tamoxifen treatment on oestrogen receptor levels in primary breast tumours: a flow cytometric study.
abstract: The effect of 3-week, preoperative tamoxifen treatment on oestrogen receptor (ER) levels, expressed by primary breast tumours, was examined. Patients (age-matched) with breast cancer, confirmed by fine-needle aspiration, were either treated with 20 mg ml(-1) oral tamoxifen per day or received no medication in the 3-week interval between assessment and surgery. Quantification of ER using flow cytometry was performed on the surgically removed tumour samples from tamoxifen-treated (n = 40) and control (n = 38, untreated) patient groups. The tumours were mechanically disaggregated, and saponin treatment rendered these cells permeable to antibodies. Using dual-parameter labelling with a FITC-conjugated antibody (NCL-5D3) directed against cytokeratin 8/18/19 and a biotinylated antibody (DAKO-ER 1D5) directed against the oestrogen receptor, ER quantification was determined on a number of receptors per cell basis. Using QC quantum bead standards, ER levels in the epithelial cell population, the non-epithelial cell population and the whole-cell population (ER+) were calculated. ER levels were significantly lower in the total cell population than tamoxifen-treated patients (P = 0.002) when compared with the control (untreated) group. By using a gating procedure using 5D3 antibody positivity, a significantly lower level was detected on examining the cytokeratin-positive population alone (P = 0.006). Using a complementary gating technique, ER levels were quantified in the cytokeratin-negative cell population. Examination of this group of cells showed no significant difference between the levels of oestrogen receptor found in the tamoxifen-treated and untreated groups (P = 0.4). We have demonstrated that ER levels can be monitored by flow cytometry. ER levels in patients treated with tamoxifen 3 weeks before operation are significantly lower than in a comparative group of patients who received no drug. Furthermore, the most significant difference in receptor levels is seen by quantification of total ER levels expressed by all the tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brotherick
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Browell
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Shenton
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Cunliffe
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lunt
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Higgs
mesh_terms: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D013629:Tamoxifen