[Anatomopathology of breast cancer and hormone receptors]

The authors present the results obtained from a series of 511 operable adenocarcinomas (were excluded sarcoma, non infiltrating carcinoma and tumours too small for dosage). Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors were determined on the cytosol with a single saturating-dose method (5nM). The cut-off between positive and negative tumours was 100 fm/g tissue with a border area (100-200 fm/g). Correlation between ER, PR and the followed histological characters were studied: 1) Anatomic size of the tumour: no correlation was found. 2) Histological type: there was a significant correlation (p less than 0.001) between ER, PR and current histological types: among the infiltrating ductal carcinoma, the highly differentiated ones were more often ER+, PR+ (69%) than the atypical one (33%). This correlation remained according to the hormonal status of the patients. The particular types but infiltrating lobular carcinoma were mainly without receptors. 3) Histological grading: there was a significant correlation (p less than 0.001) between this character and the (ER, PR) rate of the tumour: 25% of the tumours of grade III were (ER+, PR+) against 57% of the grade I. As for the histological type, this correlation remained according to the hormonal status of the patients. 4) Stromal reaction: there was a significant correlation between (ER, PR) and inflammatory reaction (p = 0.002) or elastosis (p = 0.002) respectively. Inflammatory reaction was more often reported in tumours without receptors (73% in ER-, PR- tumours against 56% in ER+, PR+ ones). On the opposite, elastosis was correlated with the presence of receptors (52% in ER+, PR+ tumours against 34% in ER-, PR- ones). 5) Lymph-nodes involvement: no correlation was found with hormonal receptors (47% ER+, PR+ in the N- cases against 48% in the N+ cases).