Evaluation of Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors (Er, Pr) in Endometrial Hyperplasiaand Carcinoma- An Immunohistochemical Study

Abstract

The endometrium which lines the uterine cavity is one of the most dynamic tissues in the human body. Proliferation and differentiation of the endometrial glands and stroma are regulated by steroid hormones mainly estrogen and progesterone. Endometrial hyperplasia is a heterogeneous set of pathologic lesions that range from mild, reversible glandular proliferations to direct cancer precursors. Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most common gynecologic malignancies in industrialized and developing countries and is generally accepted to be an endocrine related neoplasm. Understanding the biochemical basis of endometrial responsiveness to hormones in such patients is fundamental to designing a successful medical therapy. The estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) are measured by biochemical and immunohistochemical methods . Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a semiquantitative method for determination of protein expression. The technique is inexpensive and relatively quick to perform. Immunohistochemistry was done in this study to evaluate the expression of ER, PR in cases of Endometrial hyperplasia and Endometrial Carcinoma. A total of 42 cases were evaluated immunohistochemically which included 32 cases of Non atypical hyperplasia, 7 cases of Atypical hyperplasia and 3 cases of Endometrial carcinoma. The expression of ER/PR was maximal for cases of Non atypical hyperplasia, followed by atypical hyperplasia and least for endometrial carcinoma. Those can be benefited from hormonal therapy, especially atypical hyperplasia cases, whose progression can be halted by hormonal therapy.