Histologic control of biochemical steroid receptor analysis in endometrial carcinomas

Histologic review of 422 specimens from endometrial carcinoma submitted for biochemical cytosol estrogen and progesterone receptor analysis revealed that 16 (4.0%) contained no evidence of carcinoma on permanent histologic sections. An additional 11 (2.5%) contained focal carcinomas on permanent sections but had no evidence of malignancy in frozen sections of the tissue submitted for receptor analyses. Despite the paucity or even absence of malignancy, many of these specimens had significant cytoplasmic estrogen and progesterone receptors derived from endometrial and myometrial tissues. Rigorous histologic control of specimens from endometrial carcinomas submitted for biochemical steroid receptor analyses is necessary to establish valid clinical and histologic associations of steroid receptor content.