The prognostic value of estrogen receptor determinations in patients with primary breast cancer: an update.

Patients with estrogen receptor (E2R)-positive breast cancers experience a longer disease-free interval and longer survival following primary surgery than do patients with E2R-negative tumors. The presence of E2R is correlated with patient age at diagnosis and tumor grade but not with the presence of metastatic foci in axillary lymph nodes. The difference in the rates of recurrence between E2R-positive and negative tumors is greater in pre- and perimenopausal patients than in postmenopausal patients.