Steroid hormone receptor and COX-2 expression in chordoma.
Reports of sex steroid receptor expression in chordoma suggest that these tumors may be responsive to hormone manipulation therapy. Immunohistochemical stains for estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha, ER-beta, progesterone receptor (PR), androgen receptor (AR), and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), were performed on a tissue microarray containing 21 samples of chordoma. Most chordomas expressed COX-2, ER-beta, and AR, whereas ER-alpha and PR stains were negative in all cases. ER-beta expression did not correlate with AR expression (P = .4142; McNemar test). There were no statistically significant correlations between the expression of any of these markers and anatomic location of tumor, patient sex, patient age, or disease-free survival. Chordomas commonly express COX-2, AR, and ER-beta. These findings may have therapeutic implications concerning the use of agents that inhibit or modulate these signaling molecules.
Fasig
John H
JH
The Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Dupont
William D
WD
Olson
Sandra J
SJ
Lafleur
Bonnie J
BJ
Cates
Justin M M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002817:Chordoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D012447:Sacrum; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2