European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology (EJGO) is published by IMR Press from Volume 40 Issue 1 (2019). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Estrogen receptor beta (ERP) expression in breast carcinomas is not correlated with estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) and prognosis: The Greek experience
Estrogen receptors (ER) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors and mediate the effects of estrogen on target tissues. ERα was the first estrogen receptor to be characterized, and ERβ was identified ten years later. The role of ERβ in breast cancer pathobiology is largely unknown because specific antibodies have not been available until recently. The purpose of this study was to explore the expression of ERβ in breast neoplasms and to correlate it with ERα and prognosis. ERα and ERβ expression was monitored immunohistochemically in 59 breast carcinomas. We found no correlation between ERα and ERβ expression, between ERβ expression and the known prognostic indicators such as tumor size, grade or lymph node status, or between ERβ expression and survival. Our findings contribute to the better understanding of the role of ERβ in breast cancer.