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A possible divergent role for the oestrogen receptor alpha and beta subtypes in clinical breast cancer
Author(s) -
Knowlden Janice M.,
Gee Julia M.W.,
Robertson John F.R.,
Ellis Ian O.,
Nicholson Robert I.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(20000320)89:2<209::aid-ijc17>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - breast cancer , estrogen receptor alpha , biology , estrogen receptor , medicine , endocrinology , messenger rna , estrogen , breast disease , mammary gland , cancer , cancer research , gene , genetics
We have examined the relative levels of oestrogen receptor beta (ERβ) mRNA in 94 breast cancer specimens using a semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR procedure. We correlated its expression with ERα and various clinical, pathological and biochemical features of the disease. The level of ERβ mRNA expression in these samples was found to be much lower than ERα. Although ERα mRNA species were found to be most frequently associated with histological grade I and II tumours, displaying tubular differentiation, low grades of nuclear pleomorphism and low mitotic activity, such features were not characteristic of ERβ positive samples. Indeed, application of the Spearman rank correlation test revealed that there was an inverse association between ERβ normalised levels and ERα protein HScore. Also ERβ mRNA positive cancers were more frequently EGFR protein positive than their negative counterparts ( p = 0.016), a feature normally associated with endocrine‐insensitive disease. Our data suggest that although ERβ levels are most likely lower than ERα, they may influence the biological behaviour of breast cancers containing low levels of ERα. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 89:209–212, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.