Differences in the Progesterone Receptor Contents Between Familial Breast Cancers and Sporadic Breast Cancers Stratified by Patient Age

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) contents of familial breast cancers (FBCs) and compared the findings with those of sporadic breast cancers., stratified by the patients' age. To evaluate the hormone receptor contents of Japanese FBCs, we collected a consecutive series of 250 FBCs and 2,533 sporadic breast cancers (SBCs). These patients were divided into the three groups stratified by the patients' age at initial surgery (group I, under 40 years old; group II, 40-60 years old; group III, over 60 years old). The clinicopathological features of FBCs and SBCs, including ERs and PRs, were analyzed for each group. In all age groups, the PR contents of FBCs were significantly lower than those of SBCs, particularly for group III. In FBCs, the PR content was significantly lower in group III than in groups I or II. In addition, there was a nonsignificant trend towards a high frequency of ER-positive, PR-negative tumors in FBC patients aged 60 years and over. These data indicate that the loss of ER function and/or loss of binding capacity of PR to progesterone was associated with some late-onset FBCS.

Prognosis of Breast Cancer Patients with Familial History Classified According to Their Menopausal Status

“…The study showed conflicting findings in that in the FHPpost group, numerous cases with high ER values were found while numerous cases with low PR values were also found. We have reported that many older patients are ER positive and PR negative (10), and the data of the current study have confirmed our previous results. However, it is difficult to explain why there were no significant differences in the background factors among the patients with onset before menopause, whereas there were significant differences in the number of metastatic lymph nodes, ER and PR status, and CA15‐3 values among the patients with onset after menopause.…”

“…There are only a few studies reporting on the prognosis of family history positive (FHP) patients after stratification according to their menopausal status (6,9). We collected data from late‐onset breast cancer families and reported their characteristics: that the FHP patients of advanced age were often shown to be estrogen receptor (ER) positive and progesterone receptor (PR) negative (10,11). The FHP patients with onset after menopause seem to have different background factors from the FHP patients with onset before menopause.…”

Familial and Sporadic Breast Cancers

“…In the present study, the PR content is lower in FBCs than in SBCs in patients of all ages ( P = .010) but especially in patients more than 50 years of age, where it reaches high statistical significance ( P = .007), whereas the ER content is similar in the 2 groups. Similarly, Fukutomi et al 22 reported that in FBCs, in all age groups, the PR contents were significantly lower than those in SBCs, particularly in patients older than 60 years. In addition, there was a nonsignificant trend toward a high frequency of ER+/PR− tumors in FBC patients aged 60 years and more.…”

“…The PR-A form of PR has been shown to repress ER activation and contribute to estrogen-related tumor promotion in the mammary gland of premenopausal women. Fukutomi et al 22 suppose that the ER and/or PR gene functions are linked with some late-onset FBCs, and in some breast cancers, there is a possibility that a rich PR expression may thus be lost during cancer development.…”

Relationships among social support, psychological and physical states among elderly Japanese women with breast cancer

“…Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Japan since 1981, and the death rate specifically due to breast cancer is increasing [10]. There are increasing incidences of breast cancer, and it is the most common cancer diagnosed among Japanese women [11].…”