Oestrogen receptors in benign epithelial lesions and intraduct carcinomas of the breast: an immunohistological study

Abstract

We examined 198 breast lesions, representing commonly encountered benign epithelial proliferative disorders, lobular carinoma in situ and intraduct carcinoma, immunohistologically for oestrogen receptors (ER). A mixture of three ER monoclonal antibodies—H222, D75 and D547—was used on sections of routinely processed and paraffin-embedded tissue blocks. Over 65% of the benign and malignant lesions showed some evidence of ER expression and significant staining was recorded by two observers in 28–31% of fibroadenomas, 18–28% of ductal epithelial hyperplasias, 30–40% of sclerosing adenosis cases, 38–45% of papillomas, 60% of in situ lobular carcinomas and 42–45% of intraduct carcinomas. Apocrine metaplastic cells and myoepithelial cells showed absent or only weak staining. Amongst intraduct carcinomas, less than 20% of comedo carcinomas and over 50% of cribriform, papillary and solid variants showed significant ER staining.