Hormone sensitivity of primary breast carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate hormonal sensitivity of primary breast cancer by way of determination of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) status as an important prognostic and predictive parameter of breast cancer.


METHODS
The study enrolled 449 breast cancer patients surgically treated at the Surgical Clinic Nis, in a period covering 3 years, who continued treatment at the Clinic of Oncology, Clinical Centre Nis. All of the patients were divided into 4 groups depending on the positive or negative status of ER and PR, and 2 subgroups, those with positive or negative HER2 status. Standard descriptive statistical parameters were calculated and several types of tests were applied: Student's t-test for paired and unpaired samples, chi-square test, Mantel- Haenszel test, Fisher's test of exact probability and binary logistic regression model.


RESULTS
The level of ER and PR status positively correlated with patient age, postmenopausal status, lower clinical stage, lower histologic grade (HG) and nuclear grade (NG) and better prognosis. Amplification/overexpression of HER2 positively correlated with premenopausal status and ER negative breast cancer phenotype. According to the model of binary logistic regression, clinical stage and NG of the breast primary were significantly associated with hormonal sensitivity of the tumor.


CONCLUSIONS
Measurements of receptor macromolecules in clinical oncology is very important, especially in breast cancer patients. ER and PR analysis is an integral part of breast cancer study since it can provide information essential for both treatment and prognosis.
Filipovic
S
S
University of Nis, Faculty of Medicine, Clinic of Oncology, Bul. dr Z. Djindjica 48, 19 000 Nis, Serbia. filip_sl@yahoo.co.uk
Kocic
B
B
Petrovic
B
B
Milovanovic
L
L
Poultsidi
A A
AA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human