title: Female sex hormone receptors in gallbladder cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Higher incidence of gallbladder cancer among women suggests a role of female sex hormones in its etiopathogenesis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper aims to study the estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) expression in gallbladder cancer and to correlate the receptor expression with the clinicopathological profile of patients to understand its implication.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven patients of gallbladder cancer were studied. Tumor specimens were subjected to histopathologic examination. ER/PR expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Receptor expression was correlated with the clinicopathological profile of the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 47 patients, 11 (23.4 %) patients expressed sex hormone receptors. Of the receptor-positive patients, ER and PR were expressed simultaneously in eight patients while ER and PR were expressed individually in two and one patients, respectively. Metaplasia (p < 0.009) and dysplasia (p < 0.002) were found significantly more in hormone-positive group. The presence of hormone receptor correlated with early/operable stage of the tumor (p < 0.048). Hormone negativity correlated with inoperable/metastatic stage IVB (p < 0.004). The receptor status did not have any correlation with age, sex, menopausal status, presence/absence of gallstones, tumor type, tumor differentiation, desmoplasia, or necrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ER and PR are expressed, mostly simultaneously, in a significant proportion (23.4 %) of patients with gallbladder cancer. Receptor expression correlates with metaplasia, dysplasia, and early/operable stage of tumor, while its non-expression with inoperable/metastatic stage. Receptor study in patients of gallbladder cancer may have prognostic implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Command Hospital (Southern Command) & Armed Forces Medical College, Wanowrie, Pune, Maharashtra, 411040, India, sarangabharathi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ramanathan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saranga Bharathi
authors.forename: Rajinder
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Ganga Ram
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiran
authors.forename: Kusum
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Joshi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone