Histopathological characteristics and oestrogen receptor content in primary breast carcinoma

159 primary breast carcinomas were examined histologically with regard to grade of anaplasia, cellularity, amount of elastic tissue, and whether they were of ductal or lobular origin. Possible correlations between these variables and the oestrogen receptor (OR)-content were investigated. There was a marked tendency toward a greater number of OR-positive tumors in the group rich in elastosis. A significant correlation between the OR-content and the histological grade was found, whereas there was no correlation between either the OR-content or the grade of anaplasia and the cellularity. Furthermore, the group of tumors that were lobular in derivation had a significantly greater number of OER-positive tumors than the group ductally derived.