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Binding of Estradiol-17ß to Human Cancer Tissue of the Female Genital Tract¹

Department of Pharmacology, Radiotherapy, and Gynecology, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

We investigated whether tumors of the human female genital tract bind estradiol-17ß, i.e., whether they contain so-called estrogen receptors. Tumor material was obtained from patients who had not received previous irradiation or hormones. In most cases the binding of estradiol-17ß in the tumor was related to that in normal vaginal tissue.

Twenty-six patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix were studied. The tumors generally had very low levels of estrogen receptors. In only three cases was the receptor content in the tumors higher than in the corresponding vagina. Nine patients had adenocarcinoma of the endometrium; in these patients, four tumors had a very high receptor content, three tumors had intermediate levels, and, in two tumors, receptors were virtually absent. The very high level in some cases was paralleled by hyperplastic endometrium and was far above the levels of normal endometrium. Receptor content of the endometrial cancers seemed to be related to the histopathology of the tumors; highly differentiated tumors had high levels, while poorly differentiated tumors had low levels. Two metastatic adenocarcinomas (at least one of them of endometrial origin), one leiomyosarcoma of the uterine body, two tumors in the vagina, and one tumor in the vulva virtually lacked estrogen receptors.

¹ Supported by the Swedish Cancer Society.

Received 4/ 2/71. Accepted 7/20/71.