title: The evolving role of oestrogen receptor beta in clinical breast cancer.
abstract: Controversy surrounds the potential clinical importance of oestrogen receptor (ER)beta in breast cancer, and three recent papers have sought to resolve this. In the present issue of Breast Cancer Research Novelli and colleagues explored the significance of ERbeta1 expression in 936 breast cancer patients, and they showed diverse relationships according to lymph node status. A second paper examined 442 breast cancers in which ERbeta1 was an independent predictor of recurrence, disease-free survival and overall survival. Finally a third paper showed that ERbeta2 was a powerful prognostic indicator in 757 breast cancers but this was dependent on cellular location, with nuclear ERbeta2 expression predicting good survival whilst cytoplasmic expression predicted worse outcome. These papers point to a clinical role for ERbeta in breast cancer and shall be discussed.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Speirs
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D004967:Estrogens; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D004967:Estrogens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins