Oestrogen and progesterone receptors in primary breast cancer: a population study.

The results of a single centre study on cytoplasmic oestrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors and their combinations in primary breast cancer of 1957 patients from various parts of Croatia are presented. The frequency of ER+ tumours and tumour mean ER concentration were higher in patients over 50 years of age, while PR frequency and concentration were similar in patients over and under 50. The ER concentration was positively correlated with the age of patients, but the age-related increase in ER concentration appeared between 50 and 70 years of age. The pattern of receptor coexistence was age related. The frequency of ER+PR+ and ER+PR- increased and that of ER-PR+ and ER-PR- tumours decreased with the age of patients. The concentrations of ER and PR were higher in ER+PR+ than in ER+PR- or ER-PR+ tumours, respectively. When the patients were divided into groups under and over 50 years of age these differences appeared only in the latter group, while in the former the concentrations of ER were similar in ER+PR+ and in ER+PR- tumours, and the concentration of PR was higher in ER+PR+ than in ER-PR+ tumours. These data suggest a biological difference between breast cancers with various receptor combinations, as well as a difference in pathogenesis of the receptor negative and positive breast cancer.

Sex steroid receptors in intracranial tumors.

Estrogen (ER), progestin (PGR), and androgen (AR) receptors were assayed in cytosols prepared from 38 various intracranial tumors. The receptors were in the following proportions (number of receptor-positive/number of tumors examined): meningiomas were positive for PGR (4/6) and AR (2/5); glioblastomas were also positive for PGR (3/21) and AR (7/21); astrocytomas were positive only for PGR (4/5); and oligodendrogliomas only for AR. In two hamartomas AR was present, while in one chordoma both PGR and AR were present. In this latter tumor ER were not assayed due to insufficient material. The receptors were present in concentrations between 10 and 20 fmol/mg protein. Exceptions were two meningiomas and a chordoma with a high concentration of PGR and AR. Our results support the notion that a proportion of intracranial tumors contains sex steroid receptors, and some of these tumors might be hormonally dependent.

Androgen receptors in normal and neoplastic laryngeal tissue.

Androgen cytoplasmic (ARc) and nuclear (ARn) receptors were analyzed in normal and cancerous laryngeal tissue obtained from male and female patients. In men, neither ARc nor ARn were detectable in most of the normal larynx tissue specimens, while either ARc, ARn, or both were present in eight of 16 laryngeal carcinomas. In women, all three normal and two of four malignant laryngeal tissue specimens possessed ARc without ARn. The presence of androgen receptors in some laryngeal carcinomas shows that these tumors are possibly hormone sensitive, and hormonal therapy should be considered in treating these tumors.

Relationship of cytoplasmic and nuclear estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors in human breast cancer.

The qualitative and quantitative relationships between cytoplasmic estrogen receptors (ERC), total nuclear estrogen receptors (ERN), and cytoplasmic progesterone receptors (PGR) in 74 primary and 23 metastatic human breast cancer tissues were studied. A positive correlation between the age of th patients and the receptor concentration was found only for ERC. Although ERN and PGR were more frequent in tumors with a higher level of ERC, there was no significant correlation between concentrations of either ERN or PGR and ERC. However, PGR were more frequent in ERN-positive than in ERN-negative tumors, irrespective of the presence of ERC. There was also a highly significant correlation between PGR and ERN concentrations. These findings support the assumption that induction of PGR by estrogen in human breast cancer is mediated by a mechanism involving nuclear receptors. Therefore, the ERN assay might increase the validity of steroid receptor determination for prediction of hormonal sensitivity of human breast cancer.