Expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors among Sudanese women with breast cancer: immunohistochemical study

ABSTRACT

Study design: This is a descriptive study to detect the level of Estrogen [ER] and Progesterone [PR] receptors in a sample of biopsies from Sudanese women with breast cancer presented at Khartoum teaching Hospital. Forty biopsies from breast cancer patients were examined with immunostaining using anti-sera to ER and PR as markers to detect receptors. All the specimens showed the typical histopathologic features of breast cancer. Immunoreactivity testing revealed positive ER in thirty-six patients [90%] and positive PR in thirty-one patients [77.5%]. Of the 36 ER positive samples, staining intensity was strong in 20 [55.5%] moderate in 10 [27.7%] and weak in 6 [16.7%]. of the 31 PR positive samples, 15 [48.4%] showed strong staining, 7 [22.5%] moderate and 9 [29.0%] weak staining. the studied specimens showed high level of positive ER and PR receptors