PROGESTERONE AND OESTROGEN RECEPTORS IN MENINGIOMAS: BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS*

Abstract

Specific progesterone and estrogen receptor proteins were evaluated by a dextran coated charcoal assay and Scatchard plot analysis in 20 intracranial meningiomas. Eleven tumors (55%) were progesterone receptor (PR) positive (mean 108 fmol/mg cytosol protein), while all were estrogen receptor (ER) negative (ER < 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein). There were no trends to suggest a relationship between epidemiological data (patient age, sex and reproductive status in females) or meningiomas location and size and the receptor status of the tumor. Of the 7 meningiomas that were histologically atypical, invasive or clinically recurred within 18 mo., 6 were PR negative (PR < 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein). These results confirm that a large proportion of intracranial meningiomas contain significant amounts of specific PR protein and suggest that PR negative meningiomas are biologically more aggressive than PR positive meningiomas. Evidently, PR proteins are not modulated by estrogens acting through estrogen receptor and there are cytokinetic differences between sex hormone receptor proteins in meningioma and breast carcinoma. The full biochemical, cytological and clinical implication of these preliminary findings will, however, require further evaluation because of the unpredictable long-term behavior of intracranial meningiomas.