title: Estrogen receptor beta is expressed in human colorectal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: Estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta) has recently been detected in a human colon cancer cell line. The aim of this work was to determine whether ER-beta is expressed in human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) tissue and the extent of this expression. ER-beta expression in CRC was investigated by immunohistochemical staining of sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 55 CRC. The percent of positive cells was recorded. ER-beta immunoreactivity was always present in normal epithelium and adenomas in the same sections of some CRC and was always nuclear. In CRC, nuclear ER-beta immunoreactivity was detected in >10% of the cancer cells in 67% of the cases and was almost always associated with cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. There were no statistically significant differences between the ER-beta-positive and -negative groups in regard to depth of invasion, nodal metastases, or survival, regardless of the cut-off value used. We conclude that (1) a significant number of CRCs are positive for ER-beta. (2) estrogen may play an important role in the proliferation of normal colonic epithelium, and (3) there is differential localization of ER-beta immunoreactivity between normal colon, adenomas, and CRCs. Whether different ER-beta isoforms are differentially expressed in CRCs, and whether human CRCs respond to treatment with antiestrogens, is the subject of studies currently in progress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine and the Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chirala
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Younes
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Younes
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002452:Cell Count; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen