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. 2009 Jul;35(3):184-9.
Epub 2009 Jun 23.

Immunohistochemical evaluation of hormone receptors with predictive value in mammary carcinomas

D M Pleşan  1 , Claudia Valentina Georgescu  2 , Stela Ciobotea  3 , Nicoleta Pătrană  3 , Laura Mitroi  3 , C Pleşan  4
Affiliations

Immunohistochemical evaluation of hormone receptors with predictive value in mammary carcinomas

D M Pleşan et al. Curr Health Sci J. 2009 Jul.

Abstract

AIMS. Immunohistochemical evaluation of hormone receptors (ER, PR) and correlation of immunohistochemical and morpho-clinical data. METHOD. The study was performed on paraffin-embedded and HE stained tissues originating from 100 cases of invasive mammary carcinoma. Monoclonal antibodies anti-estrogen and anti progesterone receptors were used for the immunohistochemical study. The detection system was EnVision HRP and the visualization system was 3-3' diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB). The evaluation of the result was performed using the Allred score. REZULTS. The majority of the studied cases (57%) expressed both types of hormone receptors and in 32% of the cases the hormone receptors were completely absent. The rest of the cases presented a heterogeneous phenotype: 7% presented the ER-/PR+ type and 4%, the ER+/PR- type. Compared with the classical phenotype (ER+/PR-), ER+/PR- tumors were more frequent at patients over 50 years. The tumors with ER+/PR- were larger than the ER+/PR+ and they were of the invasive ductal carcinoma type with an Allred score for ER under 6. CONCLUSION. The predictive value is amplified when the ER status is correlated with the PR status because the heterogeneous phenotypes are identified, especially the ER+/PR- phenotype which have an aggressive behavior and the lowest response to tamoxifen therapy.

Keywords: hormone receptors; immunohistochemistry; mammary carcinoma; predictive factors.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Fenotype ER +/ PR +:ER positive in tumor, x200
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fenotype ER +/ PR +:PR positive in tumor (heterogenous marking), x200
Figure 3
Figure 3
Fenotype ER +/ PR +:ER positive in tumor (other case), x200
Figure 4
Figure 4
Fenotype ER +/ PR +:PR positive in tumor (other case), x200
Figure 5
Figure 5
Fenotype ER -/ PR -:ER negative in tumor (double arrow), positive in internal control ( normal ducts- simple arrow), x100
Figure 6
Figure 6
Fenotype ER -/ PR -:PR negative in tumor (double arrow), positive in internal control (normal ducts- simple arrow), x100
Figure 7
Figure 7
Fenotype ER -/ PR +:ER negative in tumor, positive in normal ducts, x100
Figure 8
Figure 8
Fenotype ER -/ PR +:PR positive in tumor, x100
Figure 9
Figure 9
Fenotypul ER +/ PR -:ER positive in tumor and internal control, x200
Figure 10
Figure 10
Fenotype ER +/ PR -:PR negative in tumor, positive in internal control ( normal ducts), x200
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