Abstract
Estrogen receptor (ER) status is an important parameter in breast cancer management. In this study, ER protein contents established by two conventional techniques were confronted to ER mRNA level, to analyze whether the latter may be introduced in routine assay. Eighty-seven breast tumor samples were examined. ER amounts were determined by ligand-binding assay (LBA) and by computer-assisted immunocytochemical assay (ICA), ER mRNA was analysed and quantified by northern blot. Seventy-seven percent of tumor samples examined were positive for ER mRNA and they all expressed the 6.7-kb receptor signal. No trace of small-sized ER mRNA variants was detected in any sample. Following akaike information criterion (AIC) discriminant analysis, a simple linear correlation was found between ER mRNA levels and ER amounts provided by LBA. This was not observed when either mRNA or LBA values were compared to ICA values. These latter were found to rapidly reach a plateau at increasing mRNA or LBA values. In conclusion, our data points to the linear correlation between ER amounts determined in breast tumors at both protein and mRNA levels by quantitative methods; they also indicate that the semi-quantitative computer-associated ICA may complement rather than replace these quantitative methods.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Elledge RM, Green S, Pugh R, Allred DC, Clark GM, Hill J, Ravdin P, Martino S, Osborne CK: Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR), by ligand-binding assay compared with ER, PgR and pS2, by immuno-histochemistry in predicting response to tamoxifen in metastatic breast cancer: a southwest oncology group study. Int J Cancer (Pred Oncol) 89: 111-117, 2000
Blankenstein MA: Comparison of ligand binding assay and enzyme immunoassay of oestrogen receptor in human breast cancer cytosols. Experience of the E. O. R.T.C. Receptor Group. Breast Cancer Res Treat 17: 91-98, 1990
Valavaara R: Reliability of estrogen receptors in predicting response to antiestrogens. Oncology (Huntington) 11: 14-18, 1997
Bacus S, Flowers JL, Press MF, Bacus JW, McCarty Jr KS: The evaluation of estrogen receptor in primary breast carcinoma by computer-assisted image analysis. AmJ Clin Pathol 90: 233-239, 1988
Harvey JM, Clark GM, Osborne CK, Allred DC: Estrogen receptor status by immunohistochemistry is superior to the ligand-binding assay for predicting response to adjuvant endocrine therapy in breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 17: 1474-1481, 1999
Dowsett M, Daffada A, Chan CMW, Johnston SRD: Oestrogen receptor mutants and variants in breast cancer. Eur J Cancer 33: 1177-1183, 1997
Lacroix M, Body JJ: Regulation of c-fos and c-jun expression by calcitonin in human breast cancer cells. Calcif Tissue Int 60: 513-519, 1997
Lacroix M, Siwek B, Marie PJ, Body JJ: Production and regulation of interleukin-11 by breast cancer cells. Cancer Lett 127: 29-35, 1998
Jin L, Borras M, Lacroix M, Legros N, Leclercq G: Antiestrogenic activity of two 11 beta-estradiol derivatives on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Steroids 60: 512-518, 1995
Maaroufi Y, Lacroix M, Lespagnard L, Journé F, Larsimont D, Leclercq G: Estrogen receptor of primary breast cancers: evidence for intracellular proteolysis. Breast Cancer Res 2: 444-454, 2000
E.O.R.T.C.: Breast Cancer Cooperative Group. Revision of the standards for the assessment of hormone receptors in human breast cancer; report of the second E.O.R.T.C.Workshop, held on 16-17 March, 1979, in the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Eur J Cancer 16: 1513-1515, 1980
Bevitt DJ, Milton ID, Piggot N, Henry L, Carter MJ, Toms GL, Lennard TW, Westley B, Angus B, Horne CH: New monoclonal antibodies to oestrogen and progesterone receptors effective for paraffin section immunohistochemistry. J Pathol 183: 228-232, 1997
Akaike H: A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Trans Autom Control AC-19: 716-723, 1974
Barrett-Lee PJ, Travers MT, McClelland RA, Luqmani Y, Coombes RC: Characterization of estrogen receptor messenger RNA in human breast cancer. Cancer Res 47: 6653-6659, 1987
Walter P, Green S, Greene G, Krust A, Bornert JM, Jeltsch JM, Staub A, Jensen E, Scrace G, Waterfield M, Chambon P: Cloning of the human estrogen receptor cDNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 82: 7889-7893, 1985
Weigel RJ, deConinck EC: Transcriptional control of estrogen receptor in estrogen receptor-negative breast carcinoma. Cancer Res 53: 3472-3474, 1993
Donegan WL: Prognostic factors. Stage and receptor status in breast cancer. Cancer 70: 1755-1764, 1992
van Dijk MAJ, Hart AAM, van't Veer LJ: Differences in estrogen receptor alpha variant messenger RNAs between normal human breast tissue and primary breast carcinomas. Cancer Res 60: 530-533, 2000
McClelland RA, Berger U, Miller LS, Powles TJ, Coombes R: Immunocytochemical assay for estrogen receptor in patients with breast cancer: relationship to a biochemical assay and to outcome of therapy. J Clin Oncol 4: 1171-1176, 1986
Parl FF, Posey YF: Discrepancies of the biochemical and immunohistochemical estrogen receptor assays in breast cancer. Hum Pathol 19: 960-966, 1988
Maaroufi Y, Trivedi S, Leclercq G: Major molecular weight heterogeneity of estrogen receptor from breast cancer is not related to neoplasia. Cancer Biochem Biophys 15: 67-78, 1995
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lacroix, M., Querton, G., Hennebert, P. et al. Estrogen receptor analysis in primary breast tumors by ligand-binding assay, immunocytochemical assay, and northern blot: a comparison. Breast Cancer Res Treat 67, 263–271 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017946810277
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017946810277