Sex steroid receptors in diverse human tumors.

The estrogen receptor was assayed in 8 intracranial meningiomas, 14 lung cancers, 3 thymomas and 2 malignant lymphomas using the dextran-charcoal method. Progesterone and androgen receptors were also assayed in all the cases of lung cancer. The estrogen receptor assay was positive in 3 meningiomas, 2 lung cancers, and all thymomas and malignant lymphomas. The androgen receptor assay was positive in one case of lung cancer but the progesterone receptor was negative in all assayed cases. No cases showed multiple receptor positivity. An antiestrogen (tamoxifen) was administered to one case each of intracranial meningioma and lung cancer with positive estrogen receptor. The receptor content was decreased to an undetectable level in the former after 4 months of administration. This finding suggests the estrogen dependency of the tumor. The lung cancer patient, however, died 2 weeks later without any evidence of hormone dependency.