Correlation of estrogen and progesterone receptors with histologic differentiation in endometrial adenocarcinoma

Endometrial carcinomas from 58 patients were graded histologically, and the histologic grade was compared with the estrogen and progesterone receptor content of the tumor tissues. Receptor content was determined by multiple concentration saturation analysis and sucrose density gradient analysis. A positive correlation was found between the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors and the degree of tumor differentiation. The majority (85%) of well-differentiated lesions contained significant amounts of both steroid receptor proteins. In contrast, only 13% of the poorly differentiated lesions were characterized by the presence of detectable levels of both estrogen and progesterone receptor proteins. The relationship of receptor content and degree of differentiation to prognosis and potential for response to hormonal therapy is discussed.