Prognostic significance of progesterone receptor immunohistochemistry in endometrial carcinoma

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of steroid hormone receptors in endometrial carcinoma using immunohistochemical staining for progesterone receptor (PR) and estrogen receptor (ER).

We evaluated the correlation between PR/ER immunohistochemistry and age, clinical stage, tumor grade, myometrial tumor invasion, and disease-free survival in a series of 92 cases of endometrioid adenocarcinoma.

Fifty (54.4%) endometrial carcinomas were PR-positive and 44 (47.8%) were ER-positive. PR immunohistochemistry of endometrial carcinoma was statistically correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (I, II vs III, IV, P = 0.001), FIGO grade (G1 vs G2 vs G3, P = 0.007), the depth of myometrial tumor invasion (< or = 1/2 vs > 1/2, P = 0.006), and disease-free survival (living vs dead, P = 0.0025). In contrast, ER immunohistochemistry had significant correlations with the depth of myometrial tumor invasion (P = 0.026) and disease-free survival (P = 0.032). Multivariate analysis of PR/ER immunohistochemistry, stage, grade, and myometrial invasion showed that the PR immunohistochemistry was a significant prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.026).

PR/ER immunohistochemistry was significantly related to survival and PR immunohistochemistry appeared to be the most reliable means for predicting survival in endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium, independent of other clinicopathological parameters.