[Expression of epidermal growth factor receptors and their ligands in malignant tumors of the breast]. / Ekspressiia retseptorov épidermal'nogo faktora rosta i ikh ligandov v zlokachestvennykh opukholiakh molochnoi zhelezy.

Epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) have been investigated in the tumors of 166 breast cancer patients and concentrations of their ligands (alpha-TGF and EGF) were measured in 104 tumors by radioimmunoassay. EGFR and both growth factors were simultaneously detected in 18% and EGFR and one of the ligands were found in 11%. There were trends to higher frequency of EGFR expression in advanced tumors, in ductal and lobular infiltrative cancers with high grade of malignancy and in estrogen receptor negative breast cancers. A possible role of the parameters studied in the prediction of breast cancer and in the choice of therapy is discussed.

[The effect of steroid hormones and tamoxifen on the rate of phospholipid turnover in the cells of uterine and breast tumors]. / Vliianie steroidnykh gormonov i tamoksifena na skorost' obrashcheniia fosfolipidov v kletkakh opukholei matki i molochnoi zhelezy.

The cycle of phospholipid turnover has been found to be under the negative control of hormonal cytostatics (progesterone) and under the positive control of proliferation stimulants (17 beta-estradiol, epidermal growth factor). Specific changes in the synthesis of phospholipids are shown when tamoxiphen, an antiestrogen and an inhibitor of protein kinase C, was used. The findings suggest that changes in the turnover rate of phospholipids are one of the key stages of steroid action on target cells and may be regarded as an additional criterion of tumor genetic sensibility.

[Estradiol-17beta, sex steroid-binding globulin and the cellular and humoral immunity indices in young women with breast cancer]. / Estradiol-17beta, polovye steroidy sviazyvaiushchii globulin i nekotorye pokazateli kletochnogo i gumoral'nogo immuniteta u molodykh zhenshchin, bol'nykh rakom molochnoi zhelezy.

Blood serum levels of sex steroid-binding globulin (SSBG), free and SSBG- and albumin-binding fractions of estradiol-17 beta as well as some indexes of cellular and humoral immunity were compared in 25 young female patients with stage 1-3 breast cancer and controls. No significant difference in SSBG and free estradiol-17 beta fraction as well as free estrogen index was established between patients and controls. In the patient group, a direct correlation was established between free estradiol-17 beta fraction level and that of mature T-cells expressing CD3 antigen and between SSBG level, on the one hand, and total level of T-cells (CD7 antigen) and that of T-suppressors (CD8 antigen-containing cytotoxic lymphocytes), on the other. An inverse correlation was established in the same group between SSBG level and that of B-cell markers expressing CD3 and 7 antigens and IgM mu-chain. In the follicular and lutein phases of the menstrual cycle, a difference in the degree of correlation between total estradiol-17 beta level and immunologic indexes was established between breast cancer patients and controls.

[Steroid hormone receptors in spontaneous testicular tumors in dogs]. / Retseptory steroidnykh gormonov v spontannykh opukholiakh iaichka u sobak.

Cytoplasmic receptors to androgens (AR), estrogens (ER), progesterone (PR) and glucocorticoids (GR) were studied in tumors and normal tissue of the testis in dogs. Peculiarities of distribution of receptors were assessed versus age and tumor histology. Benign Leydig cell tumors failed to reveal AR and ER. ER were more often detected in benign Sertoli cell tumors. Malignant seminomas and Sertoli cell tumors were characterized by higher occurrence and levels of AR, GR and PR than their benign counterparts. The results obtained can be used in studies of the activity of newly developed hormonal antitumor drugs against testicular tumors in dogs.

[The role of tumor receptor status in choosing adjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients of reproductive age]. / Rol' retseptornogo statusa opukholi v vybore ad''iuvantnoi terapii u bol'nykh rakom molochnoi zhelezy reproduktivnogo vozrasta.

Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor levels were assayed in primary tumor samples from 271 premenopausal patients suffering T1,2N1M0 (stage II) breast cancer. Four clinical groups were identified according to steroid receptor levels in which results of adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy or complex treatment) were assessed. ER and PR positivity was associated with longer disease-free and overall survival. Adjuvant hormone therapy proved beneficial in ER+PR+ tumor patients. The latter group was also characterized by a lower relapse rate, particularly, in those aged over 40. It is recommended that: (1) T1,2N1M0 breast cancer patients be given adjuvant chemotherapy whatever tumor receptor status, (2) these patients should not be given adjuvant hormone therapy unless tumor receptor status has been established since prophylactic oophorectomy and subsequent hormone therapy are not justified for operable breast cancer, (3) complex therapy be administered to premenopausal patients aged over 40 years with ER+PR+ tumors only, and (4) PR-positivity be considered a good predictor of hormone sensitivity of cancer.

[Cytoplasmic receptors of steroid hormones and clinico-morphological characteristics of skin melanoma]. / Tsitoplazmaticheskie retseptory steroidnykh gormonov i kliniko-morfologicheskie osobennosti melanomy kozhy.

Receptors of estrogens (ER), progesterone (PR), glucocorticoids (GR) and androgens (AR) were assayed in samples obtained from 142 patients with malignant melanoma. GR were observed most often (57% of cases), the percentage being significantly lower for ER (25%) and PR (18%) and extremely low for AR (4%). The occurrence of GR was significantly higher in metastasis to lymph nodes (69%) and soft tissue (67%) as compared to primary tumor (39%). It was higher in acro-lentiginous melanoma (83%) than in superficially extending (30%) or nodular one (33%). GR occurrence rose with the increase in level of invasion (from 30% for level III to 71% for level V) and tumor thickness. In application of adjuvant chemotherapy, patients with GR--negative tumors tended to survive better than those with GR--positive tumors whereas in the chemotherapy-naive group, GR--positive tumors carried better prognosis.

[Polypeptide growth factors and their interrelation with hormones in the blood plasma of patients with primary bone tumors]. / Polipeptidnye faktory rosta i ikh vzaimosviaz' s gormonami v plazme krovi bol'nykh s pervichnymi opukholiami kostei.

A relationship between blood plasma levels of polypeptide growth factors and those of peptide and sex steroid hormones, as assayed radioimmunologically, was studied in 91 patients with bone tumors of various histology and 45 healthy donors. The levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and somatotropic hormone were significantly higher in cases of chondrosarcoma and patients suffering osteogenic sarcoma in the late puberal period as compared to controls and cases of fibrous histiocytoma, giant-cell tumor, benign tumors and tumor-like lesions of the bone. The peak levels of IGF-1, somatotropic hormone and insulin were registered in osteogenic sarcoma patients who developed pulmonary metastases either in the course or after the completion of combined treatment. Somatostatin level was significantly lower in patients with osteogenic sarcoma aged 11-20 years as compared to healthy adolescents, the lowest level being observed in adolescents suffering osteogenic sarcoma with metastases to the lungs. No relationship was established between total testosterone level, on the one hand, and those of IGF-1 and epidermal growth factor, on the other. A reverse correlation was established between concentrations of IGF-1 and total estradiol. The role of polypeptide growth factor antagonists in combined treatment of bone sarcomas is discussed.

[Status of steroid receptors in the uterus, placenta and fetal membranes]. / Sostoianie steroidnykh retseptorov v matke, platsente i plodovykh obolochkakh.

Receptors of the myometrium, placenta and fetal membranes have been examined during deliveries at different gestational ages. No direct correlation was seen between plasma levels of steroid hormones and steroid receptor concentrations in target organs.

[Steroid hormone receptors in lung cancer tissue]. / Retseptory steroidnykh gormonov v tkani raka legkogo.

Receptors to estrogens (ER), progesterone (PR), glucocorticoids (GR) and androgens (AR) were assayed in 44 lung cancer patients to evaluate hormonal sensitivity of tumor. In 30 cases, active forms of GR were additionally measured by DNA-cellulose adsorption method. GR appeared to be most frequent (65%). Tumors contained PR and ER in 22% and 16% respectively, but failed to reveal AR. A correlation was established between stage and GR positivity, with 83 +/- 8% of GR-positive tumors observed at stage T1-3N0M0 as compared to 50 +/- 12% at stage T1-3N 1-2M0 (P less than or equal to 0.05). As few as 55% (11 out of 20) of GR-positive tumors revealed receptors capable of activation and interaction with DNA-cellulose. These tumors alone, one third of tumors studied, are likely to respond to glucocorticoid treatment.

[A comparative immunohistochemical and biochemical study of estrogen receptors in breast cancer]. / Sravnitel'noe immunogistokhimicheskoe i biokhimicheskoe izuchenie retseptorov éstrogenov v rake molochnykh zhelez.

The authors review the results of a comparative study of 25 mammary carcinomas, examined by the immunohistochemical method (IHM) with the use of ER-D5 monoclonal antibodies (Amersham) and by the cytosol receptor protein binding of a labeled ligand followed by the unbound hormone adsorption on dexteran-coated coal (DCM). Pap test with the above antibodies has been employed in immunohistochemical studies. The IHM has been highly specific. The results coincided in 21 of the 25 cases (83.3%). The reaction has been heterogenous in the same tumor. Quantitative values obtained by the two methods coincided in many cases. The IHM may have a wide practical application, provided the reagents are available, for it does not require sophisticated equipment and is simple to perform.

[Relation of steroid receptors, tumor ploidy, and cell proliferation in various histologic types of breast cancer]. / Vzaimootnosheniia mezhdu retseptorami steroidnykh gormonov, ploidnost'iu opukholi i pokazateliami kletochnoi proliferatsii pri razlichnykh histologicheskikh variantakh raka molochnoi zhelezy.

The receptor status of the tumors examined in 74 patients with breast cancer was found to correlate with its ploidy and proliferative activity as evidenced by flow cytometry and it failed to correlate with a histological tumor type and metastatic involvement of regional lymph nodes. In terms of DNA content, the receptor-positive tumors were more frequently diploid, the receptor-negative ones were aneuploid. The proliferation index (PI) for the receptor-negative tumors was significantly higher than that for the receptor-positive ones. The diploid tumors showed lower proliferative activity than the aneuploid ones. Among the aneuploid tumors, PI for infiltrative lobular cancer was significantly lower than that for infiltrative duct cancer. Early in invasion, duct carcinoma was predominantly diploid, of grade I-IIA malignancy and more infrequently metastasized into regional lymph nodes. Grade IIB-III malignant tumors were chiefly aneuploid and more frequently metastasized into regional lymph nodes.

[Clinical importance of determining steroid hormone receptors in endometrial adenocarcinomas]. / Klinicheskoe znachenie opredeleniia retseptorov steroidnykh gormonov v adenokartsinomakh éndometriia.

Estradiol receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) levels were measured in 216 endometrial adenocarcinomas. Tumors containing more than 10 fmol/mg protein (for ER) and 20 fmol/mg (for PR) were considered receptor-positive. Tumors were both ER- and PR-positive in 75%. In stage I and II tumors, ER and PR levels were significantly higher than in stages III and IV. A similar relationship was established for minor (not deeper than 0.5 cm) and considerable involvement (deeper than 0.5 cm). There was an inverse correlation between ER and PR levels and ER- and PR-positive tumors incidence, on the one hand, and anaplasia, on the other. Adjuvant progestin therapy proved ineffective in tumors with a PR level under 100 mol/mg protein.

[Prognostic importance of the tumor receptor status in patients with ovarian cancer]. / Prognosticheskoe znachenie retseptornogo statusa opukholi u bol'nykh rakom iaichnikov.

Estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), androgen (AR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptor levels were assayed in 70 malignant epithelial ovarian tumors from untreated patients and in 23 malignancies from those receiving preoperative chemotherapy. Both PR+ and AR+ frequency and their mean levels in tumor were found to be relatively lower after preoperative chemotherapy. The prognostic significance of receptor status in tumor was identified: the efficacy of combined chemotherapy in PR- and RA- tumor patients was much lower as compared with PR+ and RA+ tumors; a 2-year recurrence-free survival of 12.5% and median duration of remission of 6 months were observed in the former group, while in the latter the disease-free survival rate was as high as 66.7%, and a median duration of remission had not been reached at 24 months of follow-up.

[Androgen receptors in the pubic skin and testosterone content of the blood in women with hirsutism]. / Retseptory androgenov v kozhe lobka i soderzhanie testosterona v krovi zhenshchin s girsutizmom.

A study was made of "free" binding sites and the total number of sites binding androgens with the cytoplasmic receptor protein in the pubic skin biopsy specimens and testosterone in the blood serum of patients with hirsutism, degree II-III. A higher mean level of testosterone was found in the blood serum of patients with hirsutism, degree II-III, suffering from hyperandrogenism of ovarian and/or adrenal origin as compared to women with idiopathic hirsutism, degree I-III. "Free" sites of the binding of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with receptors were not revealed in most of the patients, however the total number of sites of the binding of DHT with cytoplasmic receptors were found in all the studied skin biopsy specimens. The results obtained show that there are significant differences in the testosterone level in the blood serum and the total number of DHT binding sites in the pubic skin cytosol of women with idiopathic hirsutism and patients with hirsutism, degree II-III, with hyperandrogenism of ovarian and/or adrenal origin.

[Change in the level of steroid hormone receptors in the tumors of patients with breast cancer complicated by liver and bile duct diseases]. / Izmenenie soderzhaniia retseptorov steroidnykh gormonov v opukholiakh bol'nykh rakom molochnoi zhelezy s zabolevaniiami pecheni i zhelchnykh putei.

Estrogen, progesterone and glucocorticoid receptor levels were assayed in cytosols of primary tumor in 132 patients with breast cancer. Concomitant diseases of the liver and bile ducts were detected in 13 of them. Patients with concomitant hepatic pathology showed a relatively lower percentage of tumors bearing receptors of the above steroid hormones. This was matched by a significant reduction in the level of progesterone receptors. The frequency of identification of receptors of both estrogens and progesterone in tumor in cases of concomitant hepatic pathology was three times less than in those free from it.

[Steroid hormone receptors and cellular proliferative activity following the short-term use of tamoxifen and chlorotrianisene in breast cancer]. / Retseptory steroidnykh gormonov i proliferativnaia aktivnost' kletok posle kratkovremennogo primeneniia tamoksifena i khlortrianezena pri rake molochnoi zhelezy.

The content of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), the proliferative pool level in the tumour tissue were investigated in 6 patients with the disseminated breast tumour before and after 9-day treatment with tamoxifen and chlorotrianisene for intensification of the effect of cytostatic preparations. A significant increase of the DNA synthesis intensity and proliferative pool value is observed in ER+ tumours of 2 patients. An increase of the PR level in tumour biopsies was registered in 2 patients. A decrease of the ER+ level was detected in ER+ tumours in all three patients.