Comparative study of the levels of estrogen and progesteron receptors in normal, tumor and metastatic tissues of breast cancer patients

The levels of estrogen and progesterone receptors in normal and tumor tissues and in lymphogenous metastases of 40 patients with stage Т1-4N0-3М0 operable breast cancer were studied. The age of the patients ranged between 30 and 69 years. Receptors of estrogens and progesterone were shown to be present in normal and tumor tissues and in lymphogenous metastases. Comparison of the levels of female sex hormone receptors in tissues showed that the receptor status of the primary tumor not always coincided with the status in metastatic and normal tissues. Conversion of estrogen receptors from positive in primary tumor into negative in metastases may be considered as one of the ways of development of tumor progression and formation of metastatic cell resistance to adjuvant hormone therapy.