[Significance of hormone receptors of breast cancer cells for the duration of a disease-free interval].

The importance of the presence of hormone receptors of cells derived from breast cancer tissue for the duration of the relapse-free interval was evaluated in 41 patients with stage II breast cancer. After modified radical mastectomy with axillary lymphadenectomy the patients received radiotherapy and adjuvant polychemotherapy and/or hormone therapy. There was no indication of metastases in any patient at the time of operation. There was a significant correlation of the relapse-free interval to tumor size (p less than 0.05), to the number of involved lymph nodes (p less than 0.0005), and also to the presence of the progesterone receptor (PgR), which seemed to play a more important role in this context than the oestrogen receptor (ER) (p less than 0.001). We conclude from this study that the evaluation of the PgR in breast cancer cells is important for the prognosis of the duration of the relapse-free interval.