Expression of Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors in Ovarian Neoplasms

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies of the female reproductive system and is the seventh most common cause of cancer-related deaths in females constituting about 4.0% of all female malignancies. Among cancers of the female genital tract, the incidence of ovarian cancer rank below only carcinoma of the cervix and the endometrium. Aim of the Study: The study aims to analyze the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) immunohistochemical markers in ovarian neoplasms and correlate these with age, histological type and grade of the tumour. Material and Methods: A retro-prospective study was conducted in the Pathology department of our institution for a period of 1 year, from April 2019 to March 2020. 57 cases of ovarian tumours were studied. Haematoxylin & Eosin staining was done followed by immunohistochemical staining for ER and PR. Results: Most of the tumours were benign and serous tumours were the most common histopathological entity. Expression of ER was more in malignant tumours (76.92%) than borderline (66.66%) and benign tumours (53.65%). The expression of PR was more in benign (60.97%) than borderline (33.33%) and malignant (38.41 %) tumours. Conclusion: ER expression was more in malignant tumours and PR expression was a more prevalent feature of benign tumours. This may support the role of estrogen in oncogenesis and indicate a protective role of progesterone in the development of ovarian carcinomas.