Progesterone receptor status of breast cancer metastases

Purpose: The usefulness of steroid receptor content in breast cancer metastases for metastatic disease therapy planning was examined in this study. Methods: Steroid receptors in primary tumors and corresponding metastases in the same breast cancer patients (n=23) were determined by five-point DCC assay. We carried out an analysis of the therapeutic response and comparison of the progression-free interval of patients treated with endocrine/chemo-endocrine therapy for metastatic disease according to the positive/negative progesterone receptor status of primary tumors, or of breast cancer metastases. Results and conclusions: It seems that the lack of positive progesterone receptors in metastasis (0/8) and conversion from PR+ primary to PR- metastasis (5/8) may be important in describing the non-responder phenotype. We obtained a similar progression-free interval in patients with progesterone receptor-positive/negative primary tumors, but a longer progression-free interval in the patients with progesterone receptor-positive metastases (n = 9) than with negative ones (n = 14), indicating the possibility of using steroid receptor content from metastases for metastatic disease therapy planning.