16-alpha-ethyl-21-hydroxy-19-nor-4-pregnene-3-20-dione and Ovarian-Neoplasms

An improved radioreceptor assay of unfixed cryostat sections of human target tissues has been developed. Sections collected on glass coverslips were immediately incubated with 5 nM concentrations of either tritiated estradiol-17 beta for estrogen receptor (ER) or ORG 2058 for progesterone receptor (PR) determination. For quantitation, receptor-bound and free hormone were separated by isoelectric focusing (IEF). The assay allows the determination of steroid hormone receptors and comparative histological examinations in immediately neighbouring serial sections of a single piece of tissue. Biochemically, the validity of the assay procedure was evidenced by Scatchard analysis, by ligand and tissue specificities, by the linear relations of receptor and protein concentrations and the number of sections per test tube. Diagnostically, we compared the routine (6 point DCC-Scatchard) procedure for breast cancer analysis with the section method. A good correlation for ER and a less pronounced correlation for PR was found. Statistically, the precision of the method was verified by low deviations of duplicate determinations, low day-to-day variations and low inter-assay variations.

Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Endometrium; Estradiol; Female; Humans; Isoelectric Focusing; Kinetics; Ovarian Neoplasms; Pregnenediones; Receptors, Estrogen; Receptors, Progesterone; Substrate Specificity

Cytosol estrogen (ERc) and progestin (PRc) receptors were measured in 135 endometrial carcinoma specimens from 127 patients, and in 84 ovarian carcinoma specimens from 84 patients before any treatment. In endometrial carcinoma, early clinical stages (I and II) were more often receptor-rich (ERc and PRc greater than or equal to 30 fmol/mg cytosol protein) than stage III-IV tumors, or metastatic and recurrent lesions. Anaplastic lesions (grade 3) had lower receptor concentrations than moderately (grade 2) and well (grade 1) differentiated stage I lesions. PRc concentrations of the stage I malignancies clearly infiltrating into the myometrium were lower than those in superficial tumors. Our follow-up (24 months or more) data of 41 patients with clinical stage I disease, and of 21 patients with clinical stage III or IV disease show that the receptor-poor tumors tend to behave more aggressively than receptor-rich malignancies in relation to patient survival. In 59 primary epithelial ovarian carcinomas, there were no significant differences in ERc and PRc concentrations in the four clinical stages. In contrast to this, the concentrations of these receptors were significantly lower in recurrent than in primary epithelial carcinomas. In anaplastic serous carcinomas, PRc was significantly lower than in differentiated tumors, and in anaplastic endometrioid carcinomas, ERc and PRc were lower than in corresponding differentiated tumors. Follow-up (24 months or more) data of 22 patients show that patients with advanced ovarian malignancy characterized by low ERc and/or PRc concentrations survive for a shorter time than the other patients.

Topics: Cytosol; Estradiol; Female; Humans; Neoplasm Metastasis; Ovarian Neoplasms; Pregnenediones; Progesterone Congeners; Prognosis; Receptors, Estrogen; Receptors, Progesterone; Uterine Neoplasms