Summary
The primary tumour and 1–3 invaded, axillary nodes from each of 24 patients were examined both histologically for the proportion of the specimen constituted by malignant epithelial cells (‘cellularity index’) and biochemically for oestrogen receptor concentration. Both malignant epithelial cell content and oestrogen receptor concentration were significantly higher in the nodal metastases than in the primary tumours, malignant cells constituting approximately half of the former tissue and three quarters of the latter. On average, receptor concentrations were 1.6 × (protein basis) to 2.3 × (wet weight basis) higher in nodes than in the primary tumours, probably due at least in part to the difference in cellularity. When, to eliminate the effect of the latter, receptor concentration in each tumour deposit was ‘corrected’ using the appropriate ‘cellularity index’, the difference in receptor concentration between primary and node was significantly diminished, but not quite eliminated. In one patient, progestogen receptor concentrations were also studied and found to be higher in the nodes than in the primary tumour. If the actual quantity of receptor is to be used for predictive/prognostic purposes, then either a different ‘cut-off point’ should be used for invaded nodes from that used for assessment on the primary tumour, or receptor concentrations should be corrected for differences in cellularity.
References
Hawkins RA, Roberts MM, Forrest APM: Oestrogen receptors and breast cancer: current status. Brit J Surg 67: 153–169, 1980
Jensen EV, Polley TZ, Smith S, Block GE, Ferguson DJ, De Sombre ER: Prediction of hormone dependency in human breast cancer.In WL McGuire, PP Carbone and Vollmer EP (eds): Estrogen receptors in human breast cancer. Raven Press, New York, 1975, pp 37–56
McGuire WL, Pearson OH, Segaloff A: Predicting hormone responsiveness in human breast cancer.In McGuire WL, Carbone PP and Vollmer EP (eds): Estrogen receptors in human breast cancer. Raven Press, New York, 1975, pp 17–30
Leclercq G, Heuson JC: Therapeutic significance of sex steroid hormone receptors in the treatment of breast cancer. Europ J Cancer 13: 1205–1215, 1977
Rosen PP, Menendez-Botet CJ, Urban JA, Fracchia A, Schwartz MV: Estrogen receptor protein (ERP) in multiple tumour specimens from individual patients with breast cancer. Cancer 39: 2194–2200, 1977
Leake RE, Laing L, Calman KC, MacBeth FR, Crawford DD, Smith DC: Oestrogen receptor status and endocrine therapy of breast cancer: response rates and status stability. Brit J Can 43: 59–65, 1981
Kiang DT, Kennedy BJ, Snover DC: Biological and histological characteristics of simultaneous bilateral breast cancer. Lancet 2: 1105–1107, 1980
Walt AJ, Singhakowinta A, Brooks SC, Cortez A: Surgical implications of estrophile protein estimations in carcinoma of the breast. Surg 80: 506–512, 1976
Bressot N, Saussol J, Rosinski E, Lavies M, Verone J, Pujol H. Effect of radiotherapy on estrogen and progestin receptor concentrations in breast cancer. Cancer Treatment Rep 63: 1224, 1979
Forrest APM, Roberts MM, Cant ELM, Shivas AA: Simple mastectomy and pectoral node biopsy. Brit J Surg 63: 569–575, 1976
Hawkins RA, Hill A, Freedman D: A simple method for the determination of oestrogen receptor concentrations in breast tumours and other tissues. Clin Chim Acta 64: 203–210, 1975
King RJB, Barnes DM, Hawkins RA, Leake RE, Maynard PV, Roberts MM: Measurement of oestradiol receptors by five institutions on common tissue samples. Brit J Cancer 38: 428–430, 1978
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ: Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193: 265–276, 1951
Bradford MM: A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Analyt Biochem 72: 248–254, 1976
Roberts MM, Rubens RD, King RJB, Hawkins RA, Millis RR, Hayward JL, Forrest APM: Oestrogen receptors and the response to endocrine therapy in advanced breast cancer. Brit J Cancer 38: 431–436, 1978
Hawkins RA, Hill A, Freedman B, Gore S, Roberts MM, Forrest APM: The reproducibility of measurements of oestrogen receptor concentration in breast cancer. Brit J Cancer 36: 355–361, 1977
Masters JRW, Hawkins RA, Sangster K, Hawkins W, Smith II, Shivas AA, Roberts MM, Forrest APM: Oestrogen receptors, cellularity, elastosis and menstrual status in human breast cancer. Europ J Cancer 14: 303–307, 1978
Hoehn JL, Plotka ED, Dickson KB: Comparison of estrogen receptor levels in primary and regional metastatic carcinoma of the breast. Ann Surg 190: 69–71, 1979
Leclercq G, Heuson JC, Deboel MC, Mattheiem WH: Oestrogen receptors in breast cancer: a changing concept. Brit Med J 1: 185–189, 1975
Silfverswärd C, Skoog L, Huula S, Gustafsson SA, Nordenskjold B: Intratumoral variation of cytoplasmic and nuclear estrogen receptor concentrations in human mammary carcinoma. Europ J Cancer 16: 59–65, 1980
Rosen PP, Menendez-Botet CJ, Nisselbaum JS, Urban JA, Miké V, Fracchia A, Schwartz MK: Pathological review of breast lesions analysed for estrogen receptor protein. Cancer Research 35: 3187–3194, 1975
Silfverswärd C: Estrogen receptors in human breast cancer. MD Thesis, Stockholm, 1979
Fisher ER, Redmond CK, Lin H, Rockette H, Fisher B, and collaborators: Correlation of estrogen receptor and pathologic characteristics of invasive breast cancer. Cancer 45: 349–353, 1980
Parl FF, Wagner RK: The histopathological evaluation of human breast cancer in correlation with estrogen receptor values. Cancer 46: 362–267, 1980
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Reprints: No reprints are supplied by this Department.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hawkins, R.A., Black, R., Campbell Steele, R.J. et al. Oestrogen receptor concentration in primary breast cancer and axillary node metastases. Breast Cancer Res Tr 1, 245–251 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806264
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806264