Histological detection of oestrogen receptor in human breast carcinomas

Abstract

Histological (immunocytochemical and cytochemical) methods for demonstrating oestrogen receptor within breast-cancer cells gave a positive reaction in 29 (83%) of 35 breast carcinomas. Oestrogen receptor could be demonstrated in cytoplasm and nucleus in 15, cytoplasm only in 10, and nucleus only in 4. 24 (68.5%) of the carcinomas had detectable oestrogen receptor by the dextran-coated charcoal method, and all of these were positive by histological methods. The cytochemical method gave much better results than the immunocytochemical method and showed that carcinomas contain variable proportions of oestrogen-receptor-positive and oestrogen-receptor-negative cells.

PIP: Immunocytochemical and cytochemical methods for demonstrating estrogen receptor within breast cancer tumor cells are described stepwise, and these histological techniques were compared with biochemical assessments. The histochemical methods gave a positive reaction in 29 (83%) of 35 mammary carcinomas obtained at biopsy, with estrogen receptor demonstrated in cytoplasm and nucleus in 15, cytoplasm in 10, and nucleus only in 4. 24 (68.5%) of the tumors had detectable estrogen receptor by the dextran-coated charcoal method, and all of these were positive by histological methods. The immunocytochemical test had poorer results than the cytochemical methods; the cytochemical method, in addition, showed that carcinomas contain variable proportions of estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative cells by staining. A prospective study is being carried out on those patients whose tumors were examined by histological methods to determine whether these are as good as or better than conventional estrogen-receptor assays at predicting response to endocrine therapy.