Abstract

It is generally accepted that the measurement of specific estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor(PgR) in the cytosol of human breast cancer tissue can be used as a clinical indicator of hormone dependency of tumor. This report provi- des estrogen receptor status,progesterone receptor status and the correlation hetween receptor status and histopathological features in 78 breast specimens. Included were 27 benign breast tissues and 51 carcinoma tissues, all from Korean women. The overall incidence of receptor-positive cancers was 59% in ER and 35% in PgR. The incidence of ER(+) cancers was increased in gostmenopause compared with premenopause, while that of PgR(p) cancers was decreased. PgR was found in 47% of ER(+) cancers but in only 19% of ER(-) cancers. 26, of cancers revealed not only ER (+) but PgR (+). Of benign breast tissues 2 cases (7%) contained both receptors. There was not a significant relationship between receptor status and the following morphological features of breast cancers: size of primary tumor, tumor duration, histopathological classification and histological grade. But our data showed clear tendency that an increasing degree of lymphocytic infiltrate in breast cancer was associated with decreasing incidence of positive receptors.