[Breast carcinoma: evaluation of hormone receptors and pS2, erb-B2, P-glycoprotein and Ki-67 markers].

The present study was performed on 45 mammary biopsies submitted to the Pathology Department, Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital, for evaluation of hormonal receptor. Histological typing and grading did not reveal any difference with the literature, but the mean size of tumor at clinical presentation was 4 cm (+/- 1.6) and 83% of patients with known lymph node status, had metastases. Immunohistochemical assay for hormonal receptors on frozen sections disclosed positivity for estrogen and progesterone receptors in 18 cases (43%), similar to other studies. pS2, intracytoplasmic estrogen-induced protein, is positive in 19 out of 32 studied cases (59%), similar to what is reported by others. The latter does not appear to bring more information than hormone receptors considering therapy and prognosis. Oncoprotein C-erb B2 membrane over-expression is noted in 65% with no significant correlation to histological grade, size of tumor or node status. Antigen Ki-67 marker demonstrates high proliferation rates in 19 tumors (48.7%). The markers studied do not seem to be more conclusive than the hormone receptors. The major fact disclosed by the study of this small series is the advanced stage at clinical presentation, urging an adequate medical education of the Lebanese population, and prompting to appropriate self-screening. Nevertheless, new tumor markers are continuously presented in the literature. In this era of marker extravaganza, a "wait-and-see" attitude would be a wise alternative.