Estrogen Receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PgR) Expression in Endometrial Cancer—An Immunohistochemical Assessment

Abstract

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common types of cancer in Poland and worldwide. Many risk factors lead to the pathogenesis of this disease, such as lifestyle choices, BMI, the medicines used in breast cancer therapy, and Lynch syndrome. EC cells show the expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PgR). These receptors occur in multiple isoforms and have a significant influence on the operation of cells. The loss of ER and PgR expression is associated with a poor prognosis. We assessed tissue slides that were obtained from 103 women with EC diagnoses of various grades, stages, and histological types. In this study, we used computer image analyses to increase the objectivity of the assessment. We proved that, in the tissue of patients with high-grade (G3) EC, the expression of PgR is significantly lower than that in the tissues of patients with low-grade EC. We also observed that PgR is significantly expressed in EC with a low FIGO stage and in the endometroid type of EC (which rarely becomes malignant compared to serous type). The expression of ERb1 was lower in patients with EC at the IV FIGO stage than in patients with stage III EC. These findings confirm that the loss of ER and PgR expression is connected with a poor prognosis.

Keywords

• endometrial cancer
• progesterone receptor
• estrogen receptor
• computer image analysis