[Clinical-diagnostic significance of steroid hormone receptor determinations]

The determination of steroid hormone receptors obtained an increasing significance in the last years. It has contributed to the explanation of the mechanism of hormone regulation in the organism. The test allows an additional indication, exceeding the histological differentiation, both in breast and endometrial cancer with regard to prognosis of the patient and of success of an adjuvant or curative hormone therapy, especially in progredient cases. The receptor test can be decisive for the strategy of therapy. The test allows a better indication of the expected success of therapy for different types of leukemia and malignant lymphoma, too. But the success of a pure glucocorticoid therapy is often temporarily restricted because of the spontaneous occurrence of steroid resistant receptor mutants.