Value of ER-D5 Immunocytochemical Determination in Routine Tissue Sections of Human Breast Cancer

ER-D5 is a recently identified protein related to estrogen receptors (ER). Generally ER measurement requires fresh frozen tissue and for ER-D5 assay ethanol (E) fixation of the specimen is recommended. We evaluated the possibility of immunocytochemical detection of ER-D5 in routine formalin-fixed (F) sections in 51 breast cancers comparing the results with those obtained in the same specimens using E as fixative. The results of ER-D5 assay were expressed by the staining index (SI) taking values ≥5 as positive. In all tumors ER was also assayed by a biochemical method (DCCA). The sensitivity of ER-D5 detection in F was only 33.3%, while the specificity was 94.4%. A lower cut-off value of SI for F sections (≥2) increased the sensitivity to 66.6%, leaving the specificity unchanged. A strong correlation was found between the SI of ER-D5 in E and F (p<0.001). The SI of ER-D5 in F sections was also well correlated with ER concentrations (p<0.001). These results suggest that immunocytochemical determination of ER-D5 in routine sections may be useful in retrospective studies of hormone dependence in breast cancer.

[1]  Y. Nomura.  [Steroid hormone receptors in breast cancer]. , 1990, Rinsho byori. The Japanese journal of clinical pathology.

[2]  J. Said,et al.  Detection of estrogen receptors with monoclonal antibodies in routinely processed formalin-fixed paraffin sections of breast carcinoma. Use of DNase pretreatment to enhance sensitivity of the reaction. , 1987, American journal of clinical pathology.

[3]  R. Rubens,et al.  Histochemical studies with an estrogen receptor-related protein in human breast tumors. , 1986, Cancer research.

[4]  T. Lemarchand-Béraud,et al.  The predictive value of estrogen and progesterone receptors' concentrations on the clinical behavior of breast cancer in women °clinical correlation on 547 patients , 1986, Cancer.

[5]  G. Contesso,et al.  Estrogen and progesterone receptors in benign breast tumors and lesions: Relationship with histological and cytological features , 1986, International journal of cancer.

[6]  F. Di Carlo,et al.  A Combined Histological, Immunocytochemical and Biochemical Approach in the Evaluation of Estrogen Receptors in Breast Carcinomas , 1986, The International journal of biological markers.

[7]  R. King,et al.  Histochemical studies with a monoclonal antibody raised against a partially purified soluble estradiol receptor preparation from human myometrium. , 1985, Cancer research.

[8]  G. Shaw,et al.  Molecular biology of human T-lymphotropic retroviruses. , 1985, Cancer research.

[9]  R. King,et al.  Immunoradiometric studies with monoclonal antibody against a component related to human estrogen receptor. , 1985, Cancer research.

[10]  R. King,et al.  Monoclonal antibodies against a component related to soluble estrogen receptor. , 1985, Cancer research.

[11]  L. Miller,et al.  Immunocytochemical staining of estrogen receptor in paraffin sections of human breast cancer by use of monoclonal antibody: comparison with that in frozen sections. , 1985, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[12]  G. Greene,et al.  The use of monoclonal antibodies to estrogen receptors (ER) for immunoperoxidase detection of ER in paraffin sections of human breast cancer tissue. , 1985, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[13]  G. Greene,et al.  Comparison of immunocytochemical and steroid-binding assays for estrogen receptor in human breast tumors. , 1985, Cancer research.

[14]  G. Greene,et al.  Monoclonal antibodies localize oestrogen receptor in the nuclei of target cells , 1984, Nature.

[15]  J. Wittliff.  Steroid‐hormone receptors in breast cancer , 1984, Cancer.

[16]  William H. Hartmann,et al.  The World Health Organization Histological Typing of Breast Tumors—Second Edition , 1982 .

[17]  B. Asselain,et al.  [Metastatic breast cancers: comparison of the prognostic significance and the sensitivity to chemotherapy according to the presence of estradiol and progesterone receptors]. , 1982, Bulletin du Cancer.