Steroid Receptors and Histological Types in Cervical Cancer

Estrogen receptor (ER), progestin receptor (PR), and androgen receptor (AR) levels in cytosol, nuclear KC1 extract, and nuclear KC1 unextractable fraction were determined in 34 cases by Scatchard analyses, using the dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) method for the first two receptors and the washing method for the last one. The dissociation constants of ER, PR and AR ranged from 10-10 to 10-9 M. The histological types were classified according to the World Health Organization criteria. ER, PR and AR were detected in some cases of cancer of the cervix. Regardless of the histological types of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, ER was detected in almost all cases. The detection rate of PR (8/27) was significantly lower (p<0.03) than that of ER (25/ 27), and that of AR (16/27) tended to be lower (p<0.09) than that of ER (25/27) in large cell non-keratinizing carcinoma, keratinizing carcinoma, and small cell non-keratinizing carcinoma. PR was not detected in cases of cervical adenocarcinoma, regardless of their histological differentiation.