Open AccessSampling Procedures in Estrogen Receptor Determinations
Author(s) -
James F. Newsome,
Frederick P. Avis,
J. E. Hammond,
Susan Sherwood
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
annals of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.153
H-Index - 309
eISSN - 1528-1140
pISSN - 0003-4932
DOI - 10.1097/00000658-198105000-00003
Subject(s) - medicine , estrogen receptor , receptor , estrogen , mastectomy , sampling (signal processing) , biopsy , pathology , andrology , breast cancer , cancer , filter (signal processing) , computer science , computer vision
To determine the significance of proteolysis and delayed freezing of tumor samples on estrogen receptor levels, values from 19 of 31 biopsy specimens were compared with that in remaining tumor at the completion of mastectomy. There was a 15-100% decrease in receptor content. Time-decay studies on selected postmastectomy samples showed a further decrease in estrogen receptor content inversely proportional to the time it was exposed to room temperature. Factors that govern the valid measurement of receptor levels include tumor cell concentration, tumor necrosis, and time between devascularization of the specimen to freezing. A carefully procured histologically confirmed sample of fresh tumor is necessary for reliable estrogen receptor values.