Carcinoembryonic antigen and steroid receptors in the cytosol of carcinoma of the breast. Relationship to pathologic and clinical features.

Cytosols of 159 primary breast carcinomas were assayed for estrogen and progesterone receptors and 60 of these for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The relationships of pathologic and clinical features previously shown to be of prognostic significance and the biochemical parameter measured were examined. It was found that degree of histologic differentiation was significantly related to receptor status. There were significant inverse relationships between estrogen receptor and lymphocytic infiltrate as well as tumor necrosis. Relationships between estrogen, but not progesterone, receptor and patient age, menstrual status, and race existed. Cytosol CEA, on the other hand, related only to pathologic stage and not to histologic differentiation and other pathologic variables. Therefore, steroid receptors and CEA appear to provide information about different biologic characteristics of a carcinoma. Furthermore, the information provided by CEA appears to be independent of many known pathologic, clinical, and biochemical prognostic indicators.

Steroid hormone binding macromolecules in meningiomas. Failure to meet criteria of specific receptors.

Cytoplasmic estrogen and progesterone binding proteins were assayed in 26 meningiomas using an assay developed for the measurement of estrogen and progesterone receptors in human target tissue. The steroid specificity of the binding proteins was studied in both individual and pooled meningioma tissue by competitive binding assays. Eight meningiomas contained significant amounts of estrogen-binding protein and 18 contained significant amounts of progesterone-binding protein. There was no correlation between the amount of hormone-binding protein and patient age, sex, menstrual status or presentation, or tumor occurrence, location, or pathologic features. The competition studies demonstrated a lack of steroid specificity for these hormone-binding proteins. Therefore, the authors conclude that, contrary to recent reports, the hormone-binding proteins found in meningiomas are unlikely to be specific steroid receptors.