Assessment of ER-alpha and ER-beta expression levels in malicious tumors of the uterine corpus.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this article is to present an assessment of the expression levels of estrogen receptors ER-alpha and ER-beta in malicious tumors of the uterine corpus.


METHODS
Estrogen receptor expression levels were tested using semiquantitative immunohistochemical methods. Paraffin-embedded sections of tissue from the corpus of the uterus from 171 patients were used in the research.


RESULTS
Analysis of the relation between ER-beta expression levels and the clinical grade of disease (based on FIGO classification) showed that these parameters are significantly related: p = 0.0099. There were no statistically significant relations between ER-alpha expression levels in tumors or clinical stages of tumors based on the FIGO criteria. The presence of high estrogen receptor beta expression levels is often accompanied by a low estrogen receptor alpha expression level and such arrangements allow the overt biological function of a dominant receptor.


CONCLUSIONS
The differences in tissue distribution of both estrogen receptors could indicate their different biological roles.
Popiela
A
A
2nd Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Baranowsk
W
W
Popiela
G
G
Slomczynska
M
M
Manowiec
M
M
Gabrys
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta