The correlation of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression with prognostic parameters in women with breast cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Progesterone and estrogen receptor (PR and ER) expression are considered the oldest biomarkers. The presentation of these markers can guide the treatment in breast cancer patients because of their predictive value in hormonal therapy responsiveness and prognosis. Objectives: This study investigated the correlation between estrogen and PR expression with prognostic parameters of breast cancer, including age, grading, staging, tumor size, and lymph node spread. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 245 cases of breast tumors. Characteristics of patients, including age, the status of ER and PR biomarkers, tumor type, pathological features of cancer, and staging, were documented from case files. Accordingly, SPSS version 27 software was conducted for data analysis. The collected data were analyzed using the Spearman’s correlation, Mann-Whitney U and chi-squared tests. A P value < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results: High ER and PR expression (>50%) were found in 56.7% and 40.4% of cases, respectively. Most of the tumors in patients belonged to grade 2 (56.3%) and staging IIA, IIB, and IIIA. We found a significant correlation between ER expression, breast cancer grading, and patients’ age. PR expression was significantly associated with breast cancer staging, grading, size, and lymph node spread. Conclusion: These results highlight the value of ER and PR expression as they can determine the clinicopathological parameters of the tumor, which can be helpful for better-managing breast cancer.