Histochemical demonstration of estrogen receptors in breast neoplasms
Paulsen, S.M.; Johansen, P.; Rasmussen, K.S.; Mygind, H.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 143(47): 3119-3123
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 7331012 Document Number: 169950
Demonstration of estrogen receptors (ER) in breast cancer has hitherto been based on biochemical methods. A histochemical method of demonstrating ER is presented. The method was employed in the material of 46 cases of breast cancer. Of these, 69.9% were estrogen receptor positive (ER+). More numerous estrogen receptor negative (ER-) cases of carcinoma were found in the group of premenopausal/menopausal women than in the post-menopausal women but the difference was not significant. The distribution of ER+ and ER- carcinomas among the infiltrating ductal carcinomas showed a tendency towards more numerous ER- carcinomas among the least differentiated tumors and 6 of the 7 infiltrating lobular carcinomas were ER+. If ER+ carcinomas are defined as those with a receptor content of > 10 fmol/mg protein and in histochemical investigations as those with > 10% fluorescent cells, frequencies of ER+ and ER- carcinomas were found of those found to be similar in 2 previous histochemical materials and in an extensive material investigated biochemically. Theoretical aspects of histochemical demonstration of estrogen receptors are discussed. Although unexplained conditions still exist concerning the relationship between the receptors demonstrated histochemically and those demonstrated biochemically, histochemical demonstration of estrogen receptors offers a possibility for supplementing biochemical demonstration.