Estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR)‎ status of breast cancer cases in Kurdistan and their correlation with pathologic prognostic variables

Abstract EN

Background : breast cancer shows different clinico-pathological features according to geographic and ethnic groups' variation.

The ER and PR positive status is an indication that the patient is a good candidate for hormone therapy.

Furthermore, the high percentage and intensity of ER and PR positive cells are important predictive markers for this cancer.

Aim To assess breast cancer-specific features for patients diagnosed in the north of Iraq and to assess the hormone receptors status and their relation to other pathological prognostic factors.

Patients and Methods : this study included 324 breast cancer cases diagnosed and reviewed by histopathology in the central lab of Duhok / Iraq, from May 2007 to March 2012.

Immunohistochemical markers were used to identify the ER and PR status and scoring according to Allred scoring guideline.

Results : About 68.2 % of the patients included in this study were younger than 50 years.

Most of them presented at stage II and III.

Negative stain for ER was seen in more than half of the patients.

The score proportion was decreasing with the increase in the stage, but the correlation was statistically insignificant ; on contrary the correlation of ER and PR scoring with lymph node involvement was statistically highly significant Conclusion : the young onset of breast cancer among Kurdish patients, the high stage at first presentation and the relatively high percentages of hormone insensitive cancers in both young and old patients could be attributed to the genetic predisposition modified by the revolution in life style and required additional study and analysis.