title: Progesterone receptor status provides predictive value for adjuvant endocrine therapy in older estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients.
abstract: Estrogen receptor (ER) status can predict the efficacy of endocrine therapy. However, the predictive significance of the progesterone receptor (PgR) is controversial in an adjuvant setting. Records of 758 ER+ breast cancer patients who received adjuvant tamoxifen (TAM) for 3-5 years were reviewed to evaluate the predictive value of PgR for TAM treatment in ER+/PgR+ and ER+/PgR- groups. By a median of 40 months' follow-up, there was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to disease-free-survival (DFS). On the basis of STEPP analysis showing the tendency of age effect on DFS in both the ER+/PgR- and ER+/PgR+ groups, we classified the ER+ patients into three strata by age (<45, 45-60, and >or=60 years). There was no significant difference in DFS and overall survival (OS) between the two groups in the <45 stratum and the 45-60 stratum. In contrast, the ER+/PgR- group had a worse prognosis in the >or=60 stratum with regard to both DFS (P=0.0484) and OS (P=0.0009). The results suggest that PgR status might be a predictive factor of benefit to be gained from adjuvant TAM for older ER+ patients with regard to DFS and OS. This should take into account older ER+/PgR- patients who tend to be resistant to TAM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke-Da
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Guang-Yu
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Gen-Hong
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Di
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jin-Song
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Kun-Wei
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zhen-Zhou
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zhi-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D013629:Tamoxifen