Prognostic significance of estrogen and progesterone receptors in stage ii breast cancer

Abstract

Estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) were evaluated in samples from primary tumors in 539 patients with stage II breast cancer participating in a randomized multicenter controlled clinical trial on adjuvant therapy. At the cut‐off points of 10 fmol ER/mg protein and 30 fmol PgR/mg protein, no significant difference in recurrence‐free survival (RFS) existed between premenopausal patients with receptor‐positive and negative tumors, respectively. After recurrence, premenopausal patients with receptor‐positive tumors had a significant longer survival than patients with receptor‐negative tumors. In postmenopausal patients not treated with adjuvant tamoxifen, no correlations between RFS and receptor status were found. Patients with ER + tumors survived longer than patients with ER–tumors. In postmenopausal patients treated with adjuvant tamoxifen, highly significant differences in RFS and in survival were observed when receptor‐positive patients were compared with receptor‐negative patients. No differences in survival after recurrence were registered among these patients.