title: Steroid receptor expression in thymomas and thymic carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although protein expressions of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ), progesterone receptor A (PgR-A), and androgen receptor (AR) were shown to play roles in the growth and differentiation of normal thymus and thymic tumors, to the authors' knowledge their association with patient characteristics and prognosis has yet to be determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  A series of 140 thymic epithelial tumors (57 type A + AB thymomas, 40 type B1 + B2 thymomas, 6 type B3 thymomas, and 37 thymic carcinomas) were examined for GR, ERα, ERβ, PgR-A, and AR expression using immunohistochemistry. In addition, the correlation between expression of these hormone receptors and clinicopathologic factors and overall survival (OS) was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GR and ERβ demonstrated a high rate of expression in thymomas and thymic carcinomas (82.9% and 76.4%, respectively), whereas rates of ERα, PgR-A, and AR expression were low (13.6%, 0.71%, and 23.6%, respectively). A significant correlation (P < .05) was found between ERα expression and tumor size and between ERβ expression and tumor stage. Multivariate analyses revealed that histologic subtype (P = .0039), tumor stage (P = .0012), and GR expression (P = .0025) were significantly correlated with the 10-year OS rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GR and ERβ demonstrated high rates of expression in thymomas and thymic carcinomas. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that GR expression was associated with better prognosis in patients with surgically resected thymomas and thymic carcinomas.
authors: Pathology and Clinical Laboratory Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Mimae
authors: Koji
authors: K
authors: Tsuta
authors: Fumiaki
authors: F
authors: Takahashi
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Yoshida
authors: Tadashi
authors: T
authors: Kondo
authors: Yoshinori
authors: Y
authors: Murakami
authors: Morihito
authors: M
authors: Okada
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Takeuchi
authors: Hisao
authors: H
authors: Asamura
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Tsuda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013945:Thymoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone