Related Experiment Videos
Immunoassay for estrogen receptor does not detect inactivated receptor
L A Molnar1, N Dhirani, K Tran
1Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Clinical Chemistry
|May 1, 1989
Summary
Accurate estrogen receptor (ER) quantification in breast cancer is crucial. An enzyme immunoassay showed no advantage over steroid-binding assays for inactivated ER, indicating antigen site alteration during inactivation.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Accurate quantification of estrogen receptor (ER) is critical for breast cancer patient characterization.
- Estrogen receptor protein is labile and can be inactivated by mishandling, affecting assay accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if a commercial enzyme immunoassay can quantify inactivated estrogen receptor (ER) in breast tumors.
- To compare the performance of enzyme immunoassay and steroid-binding assay for inactivated ER.
Main Methods:
- Breast tumor samples were subjected to conditions known to inactivate ER (temperature, homogenization).
- Remaining ER was quantified using both a commercial enzyme immunoassay and a conventional steroid-binding assay.
Main Results:
- Both assay methods detected identical proportions of remaining ER across all tested inactivation conditions.
- The enzyme immunoassay did not offer superior quantification of inactivated ER compared to the steroid-binding assay.
Conclusions:
- ER inactivation by mishandling also affects the antigenic sites recognized by the enzyme immunoassay.
- For mishandled breast tumors with inactivated ER, the enzyme immunoassay provides no benefit over the standard steroid-binding assay.