Prognostic significance of progesterone receptor immunohistochemistry in endometrial carcinoma

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of steroid hormone receptors in endometrial carcinoma using immunohistochemical staining for progesterone receptor (PR) and estrogen receptor (ER).

Methods: We evaluated the correlation between PR/ER immunohistochemistry and age, clinical stage, tumor grade, myometrial tumor invasion, and disease-free survival in a series of 92 cases of endometrioid adenocarcinoma.

Results: Fifty (54.4%) endometrial carcinomas were PR-positive and 44 (47.8%) were ER-positive. PR immunohistochemistry of endometrial carcinoma was statistically correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (I, II vs III, IV, P = 0.001), FIGO grade (G1 vs G2 vs G3, P = 0.007), the depth of myometrial tumor invasion (< or = 1/2 vs > 1/2, P = 0.006), and disease-free survival (living vs dead, P = 0.0025). In contrast, ER immunohistochemistry had significant correlations with the depth of myometrial tumor invasion (P = 0.026) and disease-free survival (P = 0.032). Multivariate analysis of PR/ER immunohistochemistry, stage, grade, and myometrial invasion showed that the PR immunohistochemistry was a significant prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.026).

Conclusion: PR/ER immunohistochemistry was significantly related to survival and PR immunohistochemistry appeared to be the most reliable means for predicting survival in endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium, independent of other clinicopathological parameters.