Clinical response to hormone therapy correlated with estrogen receptor analyses. Biochemical v histochemical methods
McCarty, K.S.; Hiatt, K.B.; Budwit, D.A.; Cox, E.B.; Leight, G.; Reintgen, D.; Georgiade, G.; McCarty, K.S.; Siegler, H.F.
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 108(1): 24-26
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9985 PMID: 6546332 Document Number: 226752
Estrogen receptor (ER) analysis by sucrose density gradient analysis (SDGA) was compared with histochemical localization of estrogen binding using 6-carbomethoxy-bovine serum albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanode-estradiol (E2-6-CMO-BSA-FITC) (6FE), 17-thiosemicarbozene-BSA-FITC-estrogen (E-17-TSC-BSA-FITC) (17FE), and polyestradiol phosphate-antiestradiol antibody-FITC (PEP) on serial frozen sections of metastatic breast cancer lesions from 72 patients treated with hormonal therapy. A comparison of assays to clinical responses gave the following sensitivities: ER-SDGA, 90%, 6FE, 50%; 17FE, 55%; and PEP, 58%. Specificities were as follows: ER-SDGA, 81%; 6FE, 47%; 17FE, 41%; and PEP, 59%. The SDGA gave the highest predictive value for clinical response, while the predictive value for each of the 3 histologic techniques approximated that predicted by chance alone. These selected histochemical techniques for ER localization, despite impressive cytologic localization patterns, therefore, do not correlate with clinical response.