[Hormone receptors and breast cancer prognosis].

Estradiol and progesterone assays in breast cancer have been developed for ten years and their clinical significance investigated in primary and metastatic tumors. The presence of estradiol and/or progesterone receptor is not related to the extension of the disease, the age of the patient or hormonal status. It seems to be related to the grade of histological differentiation. 1) Clear relationship exists between the presence of estradiol receptor and hormone dependency. 2) Estrogen receptor positive tumors demonstrate a more favorable outcome than the estrogen receptor negative one. According to recent data the presence of progesterone receptor is a better criteria than ER for long term pronostic.