Evaluation of steroid hormone receptors with respect to tumor cellularity

The cellularity grade of 350 carcinomas of the breast was determined in retrospect, and from these results 3 corrective factors were established. After biochemically assessing the concentrations of estrogen and progesterone receptors, these were compared with tumor size, histological type and cellularity. As expected, ductal carcinomas showed higher average hormone receptor concentrations than lobular or medullary carcinomas. There was no evidence of a positive correlation between receptor concentration and cellularity grade. Many times, an initially negative receptor status in the lobular carcinomas with their relative paucity of cells was modified to a positive status. Accordingly, further possible therapeutic approaches should be discussed with respect to tumor cellularity.