Summary
Estradiol receptor alone or estradiol and progesterone receptors (ER, PgR) have been measured in tumors from 307 women who were treated for primary breast adenocarcinoma. Patients received adjuvant therapy in relation to tumor stage independently of receptor status. Over a relatively short follow-up, more recurrences are recorded in patients with ER + tumors, but at 7 years the same proportion of recurrences are registered in both groups of patients whose tumors were ER + or ER −. Patients whose tumors were processed for both ER and PgR (148 cases) have now been evaluated after 5 years follow-up. Among 56 patients with PgR + tumors 5 recurred, versus 22/92 in the PgR − group. 21/87 patients who had 1 to 4 invaded nodes at the time of surgery relapsed: 17/54 had PgR − tumors versus 4/33 PgR +. 6 recurrences were recorded in the 61 patients with negative nodes: 5 of them occurred in patients with PgR − tumors. In addition, recurrences observed in patients with negative receptor status occurred after a shorter disease-free interval.
Analysis of the incidence of recurrences in relation to the combined ER/PgR status in patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy suggests that tumor PgR content is a more significant criterion than ER for longterm prognosis.
References
Jensen EV, Block GE, Smith S, Kyser K, DeSombre E: Estrogen receptors and breast cancer response to adrenalectomy. Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 34:55–79, 1971
McGuire WL, Carbone PP, Sears ME, Escher GC: Estrogen receptors in human breast cancer: an overview.In WL McGuire, PP Carbone, and EP Vollmer (eds): Estrogen receptors in human breast cancer. Raven Press, New York, 1975, pp. 1–8
Horwitz KB, McGuire WL, Pearson OH: Predicting response to endocrine therapy in human breast cancer: a hypothesis. Science 189:726–727, 1975
McGuire WL: An update on estrogen and progesterone receptors in prognosis for primary and advanced breast cancer. Progr Cancer Res Ther 14:337–343, 1980
Pincus G, Vollmer EP, (eds): Biological activities of steroids in relation to cancer. Academic Press, New York, 1960
TNM classification of malignant tumors: breast, pp. 47–53. Union Internationale Contre le Cancer, Geneve, 1979
Kaplan EL, Meier P: Non parametric estimations from incomplete observations. J Amer Statist Assoc 53:457–481, 1958
Mantel N: Evaluation of survival data and two new rank order statistics arising in its consideration. Cancer Chemother Rep 50:163–170, 1966
Peto R, Pike MC, Armitage P, Breslow NE, Lox DR, Howard SV, Mantel N, McPherson K, Peto J, Smith PG: Design and analysis of randomized clinical trials requiring prolonged observation of each patient. II. Analysis and examples. Br J Cancer 35:1–39, 1977
EORTC Breast Cancer Cooperative Group: Standards for the assessment of estrogen receptors in human breast cancer. Europ J Cancer 9:379–381, 1973
Saez S, Martin PM, Chouvet CD: Estradiol and progesterone receptor levels in human breast adenocarcinoma in relation to plasma estrogen and progesterone levels. Cancer Res 38:3468, 1978
Saez S, Nassif E, Cheix F, Israel N, Mayer M: Hormone receptors in human breast tumors.In EF Lewison and ACW Montague (eds): Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1981, pp. 103–110
Walt AJ, Singhakowinta A, Brooks SC, Cortez A: The surgical implications of estrophile proteins in carcinoma of the breast. Surgery 80:506–512, 1976
Knight WA, Livingston RB, Gregory EJ, McGuire WL: Estrogen receptor as an independent prognostic factor for early recurrence in breast cancer. Cancer Res 37:4669–4671, 1977
Rich MA, Furmanski P, Brooks SC: Prognostic value of estrogen receptor determination in patients with breast cancer. Cancer Res 38:4296–4298, 1978
Hahnel R, Woodings T, Vivian AB: Prognostic value of estrogen receptors in primary breast cancer. Cancer 44:671–675, 1979
Allegra JC, Lippman ME: Estrogen receptor status and the disease free interval in breast cancer. Rec Results Cancer Res 71:20–25, 1980
Bishop HM, Blamey RW, Elston CW, Haybittle JL, Nicholson RI, Griffiths K: Relationship of estrogen receptor status to survival in breast cancer. Lancet ii:283–284, 1979
Furmanski P, Saunders DE, Brooks SC, Rich MA: The prognostic value of estrogen receptor determinations in patients with primary breast cancer: an update. Cancer 46:2794–2796, 1980
Westerberg H, Gustafsson SA, Nordenskjold R, Silfversward C, Wallgren A: Estrogen receptor level and other factors in early recurrence of breast cancer. Int J Cancer 26:429–438, 1980
Croton R, Cooke T, Holt S, George WD, Nicolson P, Griffiths K: Estrogen receptors and survival in early breast cancer. Br Med J 283:1289–1291, 1981
Kinne DW, Ashikari R, Butler A, Menendez-Botet C, Rosen PP, Schwartz M: Estrogen receptor protein in breast cancer as a predictor of recurrence. Cancer 47:2364–2367, 1981
Hilf R, Feldstein ML, Gibson SL, Savlov ED: The relative importance of estrogen receptor analysis as a prognostic factor for recurrence or response to chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. Cancer 45:1993–2000, 1980
Hubay CA, Pearson OH, Marshall JS, Stellato TA, Rhodes RS, De Banne SM, Rosenblatt J, Mansour EG, Hermann RE, Jones JC, Flynn WJ, Eckert C, McGuire WL: Adjuvant therapy of stage II breast cancer: 48 months follow up of prospective randomized trial. Breast Cancer Res Treat 1:77–82, 1981
Crowe JP, Hubay CA, Pearson OH, Marshall JS, Rosenblatt J, Mansour EG, Hermann RE, Jones JC, Flynn WJ, McGuire WL: Estrogen receptor status as a prognostic factor for stage I breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2:171–176, 1982
DeSombre ER, Jensen EV: Estrophilin assays in breast cancer: quantitative features and application to the mastectomy specimen. Cancer 46:2783–2788, 1980
Paridaens R, Sylvester RJ, Ferrazi E, Legros N, Leclercq G, Heuson JC: Clinical significance of the quantitative assessment of estrogen receptors in advanced breast cancer. Cancer 46:2889–2895, 1980
Godolphin W, Elwood JM, Spinelli JJ: Estrogen receptor quantitation and staging as complementary prognostic indicators in breast cancer: a study of 583 patients. Int J Cancer 28:677–683, 1981
Martin PM, Jaquemier J, Rolland P, Rolland AM, Toga M: Human mammary carcinoma: relationship between steroid hormone receptors and histopathology. An hypothesis, the prognostic value of hormone receptors. Bull Cancer 65:383–387, 1978
McGuire WL: Steroid hormone receptors in breast cancer treatment strategy. Rec Progr Hormone Res 36:135–146, 1980
Pichon MF, Pallud C, Brunet M, Milgrom E: Relationship of presence of progesterone receptors to prognosis in early breast cancer. Cancer Res 40:3357–3360, 1980
Saez S, Chouvet C, Mayer M, Cheix F: Estradiol and progesterone receptors as prognostic factors in human primary breast tumors. Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res 21:139, 1980
Saez S, Pichon MF, Cheix F, Mayer M, Pallud C, Brunet M, Milgrom E: Progesterone receptors and prognosis in early breast cancer. The experience of two Centers.In Bardin, Mauvais-Jarvis, and Milgrom (eds): Progesterone and Progestins. Raven Press 1983 pp 355–366
Allegra JC, Lippman ME, Simon R, Thompson EB, Barlock A, Green L, Huff KK, Do HMT, Aitken SC, Warren R: Association between steroid hormone receptor status and disease free interval in breast cancer. Cancer Treat Rep 63:1271–1277, 1979
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Saez, S., Cheix, F. & Asselain, B. Prognostic value of estrogen and progesterone receptors in primary breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Tr 3, 345–353 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01807587
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01807587