Hormone receptor analysis for breast cancer in cell-block preparation

Objective : Several studies have shown receptor discrepancies between primary tumors and metastases. In metastatic diagnosis, cell-block cytology (CBC) is superior to liquid-based cytology (LBC) due to the easy addition of special staining and low cost. We compare the usefulness of CBC versus LBC in hormone receptor (HR) analysis. Study Design : Specimens aspirated from surgically resected breast tissue prepared for CBC and LBC were immunostained for HRs and HR results compared to those for surgical specimens and LBC. Results : HR results for CBC agreed with those of histology in 34 of 35 cases, with a concordance rate of 97% for the estrogen receptor and in 31 of 35 cases, with a concordance rate of 89% for the progesterone receptor. Overall HR concordance rate for the CBC and histology was 97% in 34 of 35 cases. HR results for CBC agreed with those of LBC in all cases for overall HR. Conclusion : In HR breast cancer analysis, CBC results correlated well with the LBC results and histology specimens.