Hormone Receptor Status of Breast Cancer in the Himalayan Region of Northern India

The role of hormone receptors as a prognostic and therapeutic tool in breast cancer is widely accepted. The frequency of nonreactivity of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer patients of India is much more common than in the West. This study was conducted with the aim of analysis of steroid receptor status in breast cancer with clinico-pathological characteristics from the northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, India located in the region of the Western Himalayas. Fifty five consecutive patients with the diagnosis of breast cancer were included in this study. Detailed clinical and histopathologic data was recorded in all cases. Estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor status was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. On immunohistochemical staining, 34.5% cases proved to be estrogen receptor positive and 36.4% cases progesterone receptor positive. The results in the present study documented low estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor positivity in breast cancer from this region of India.