[Hormone receptors in research and their clinical application (author's transl)]

Experimental investigations and clinical studies stress the importance of hormone receptors in basic research and clinical investigation. The study of LH-RH receptors in the anterior pituitary of rats resulted in the possible use of LH-RH analogues as competitive inhibitors of the releasing hormone. This resulted in the development of a new concept of fertility control. The investigation of steroid hormone receptors in the anterior pituitary of rats provided a basis for the mechanism of action of steroids in modulating the release of gonadotropins and prolactin from the adenohypophysis. The determination of cytoplasmatic oestrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor levels, combined with the estimation of the nuclear oestrogen-receptor content allows an improved selection of patients for endocrine therapy of breast tumours. Our results on the investigation of steroid receptors in the human endometrium suggest that receptor assays are of prognostic value and provide a guide for selecting patients with cancer of the body of the uterus for adjuvant hormone therapy. In addition, the present data combine to suggest that receptor assays may be useful in other endocrine diseases and in cases of unexplained sterility.