Beyond Diagnosis: Investigating the Interplay between Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors in Breast Cancer Patients - A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Evaluation of hormone receptor expression is a central component of the pathological evaluation of breast cancer. Testing for hormone receptors is important because the results help you and your doctor decide whether the cancer is likely to respond to hormonal therapy or other treatments. The primary goals of our study were to assess the distribution of Estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer. Methods In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 10000 women with a diagnosis of Breast cancer admitted to Islamic Azad University Hospitals between 200–2022 were enrolled. The breast cancer subtype was determined by immune histochemical staining for estrogen progesterone receptors. We gathered the data from the reports of pathology and IHC of the patients. Results The mean age of patients was 45.5 (SD = 5.4). Based on the results of IHC, the Estrogen receptor (ER) was positive in 57% of cases and the Progesterone receptor (PR) was positive in 48% of cases. ER and PR were both positive in 34% of all cases. Conclusion Assessment of hormone receptor status is essential to determine treatment for all breast cancer patients. Breast tumors that have estrogen and progesterone receptors have the highest chance of recovery after hormone therapy. While patients whose tumor has only one of the two mentioned receptors and in cases where the level of both receptors is low, the chance of recovery is also low.