Prognostic value of histochemical evaluation of steroid binding sites in breast tumors

Frozen tumor sections and/or cytological smears and aspirates from 614 patients were studied utilizing the fluorescent estrogen binding technique of Lee. Survival analyses of the results indicated that women less than 55 years of age and with positive tumors had a statistically better disease-free interval and survived significantly longer than older patients. The method is thus an independent predictor of survival and disease-free interval in this subgroup of breast cancer patients.