Hormone Receptor Status in Breast Cancer Patients and Its Association with Age and Histopathological Grade in a Tertiary Care Setting

Authors

  • Manal Afzal Author
  • Rashid Ali Author
  • Tashaba Qaiser Faizi Author
  • Madiha Masood Khan Author
  • Mansab Ali Author
  • Surrendar Dawani Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51985/

Keywords:

Breast Neoplasms, Receptors, Progesterone, Immunohistochemistry, Receptors, Estrogen, Prognosis

Abstract

 Objective: Hormone receptor testing plays a central role in the classification and treatment planning of breast cancer. This study aims to assess the frequency of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in breast carcinoma and examine their association with age and histopathological grade in a tertiary care setting.

 

Study design and setting: This study design is cross-sectional, and it took place at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi.

 

Methodology:. A total of 175 breast carcinoma cases diagnosed at a tertiary care center were reviewed. Information regarding patient age, tumor characteristics (type, size, lymph node status, metastasis, histological grade), and ER/PR expression was recorded. Associations between receptor status and clinicopathological parameters were examined using the chi-square test.

 

Results: The majority of patients (59.4%) were aged 51–80 years. Most tumors were of ductal type (55.4%) and hormone receptor–negative, with 64.6% ER-negative and 70.3% PR-negative. ER and PR positivity were significantly higher in older patients (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). However, no significant association was found between histopathological grade and either ER or PR status.

 

Conclusion: Hormone receptor negativity was prevalent, especially in younger women: ER and PR expression increased with age and showed no association with tumor grade. These findings support the routine use of hormone receptor testing for informed treatment decisions. 

References

1. Xiong X, Zheng LW, Ding Y, Chen YF, Cai YW, Wang LP,

Huang L, Liu CC, Shao ZM, Yu KD. Breast cancer:

pathogenesis and treatments. Signal Transduct Target Ther.

2025: 10(1):49. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-024-02108-

42. Laiq T, et al. Prediction of axillary lymph node metastasis in

breast cancer patients based on ultrasonographicclinicopathologic features. Pak J Med Sci. 2024: 41(1):96–100.

https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.1.10384

3. Siddiqui R, Mehmood MH, Khan NA. An overview of breast

cancer in Pakistan. Discov Med. 2024: 1:82. https://doi.org

/10.1007/s44337-024-00089-5

4. Schlefman J, Brenin C, Millard T, Dillon P. Estrogen receptor

positive breast cancer: contemporary nuances to sequencing

therapy. Med Oncol. 2023: 41(1):19. https://doi.org/10.1007/

s12032-023-02255-8

5. Shen L, Huang H, Li J, Chen W, Yao Y, Hu J, Zhou J, Huang

F, Ni C. Exploration of prognosis and immunometabolism

landscapes in ER+ breast cancer based on a novel lipid

metabolism-related signature. Front Immunol. 2023:

14:1199465. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1199465

6. Ayadi L, Khabir A, Amouri H, Karray S, Dammak A, Guermazi

M, et al. Correlation of HER-2 over-expression with

clinicopathological parameters in Tunisian breast carcinoma.

World J Surg Oncol. 2008: 6:112. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-

7819-6-112

7. Keyhanian S, Jannat Alipoor Z, Lohrasbi E, Fotoukian Z,

Saravi M. Evaluation of biologic markers frequency and their

correlation with some determinant prognostic factors in women

with breast cancer referred to oncology clinic of Imam Sajjad

Hospital of Ramsar during 2002–2012. J Ilam Univ Med Sci.

2015: 22(7):115–128.

8. Moghni M, Mokhtariyan K. Correlations of estrogen or

progesterone receptors with grade of invasive ductal

carcinomas of the breast in women referred to pathology

center in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province Iran. J Shahrekord

Univ Med Sci. 2009: 11(3):40–45.

9. Shahidsales S, Hosseini S, Ahmadi-Simab S, Ghavam-Nasiri

M. The importance of prognostic factors (ER, PR, P53) in

breast cancer and their relationship with stage of disease. Med

J Mashhad Univ Med Sci. 2014: 57(2):457–463.

10. Mondal S, Preetam S, Deshwal RK, Thapliyal S, Rustagi S,

Alghamdi S, et al. Advances in prognostic and predictive

biomarkers for breast cancer: Integrating multigene assays,

hormone receptors, and emerging circulating biomarkers.

Clin Chim Acta. 2026: 578:120513. https://doi.org/10.1016

/j.cca.2025.120513

11. Sohail SK, Sarfraz R, Imran M, Kamran M, Qamar S. Estrogen

and progesterone receptor expression in breast carcinoma and

its association with clinicopathological variables among the

Pakistani population. Cureus. 2020: 12(8):e9751.

https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.9751

12. Kamil M, Khalid I, Hashim H, Biswas M, Kaur G, Islam R.

Association of carcinoma breast: grade and estrogen

progesterone receptor expression. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak.

2010: 20(4):250–254.

13. Varma N, Suthar N, Parikh M, Amar R. Expression of estrogen,

progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptors

in breast cancer in GMERS Medical College and Hospital

Gandhinagar, India. J Med Life Sci. 2024: 8:294–306.

https://doi.org/10.21608/jmals.2024.372332

14. Santosh BT, Behera B, Bal AK, Patro MK, Mishra DP. Role

of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2/neu

expression in breast carcinoma subtyping. Nat J Lab Med.

2021: 10(1):2452. https://doi.org/10.7860/NJLM/2021

/45580:2452

15. Sharma S, Giresha AS, Dixit S. Relevance of estrogen and

progesterone receptors in determining breast cancer prognosis.

Int J Cancer Biol Study. 2023: 23(2):333–34216. Zhao X, Yang X, Fu L, Yu K. Associations of estrogen receptor,

progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor-

2 and Ki-67 with ultrasound signs and prognosis of breast

cancer patients. Cancer Manag Res. 2021: 13:4579–4586.

https://doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S276422

17. Gamrani S, Boukansa S, Benbrahim Z, Mellas N, Fdili Alaoui

F, Melhouf MA, et al. The prognosis and predictive value of

estrogen negative/progesterone positive (ER-/PR+) phenotype:

Experience of 1159 primary breast cancer from a single

institute. Breast J. 2022: 28(1):9238804. https://doi.org/10.1155

/2022/9238804

18. Delvallée J, Etienne C, Arbion F, Vildé A, Body G, Ouldamer

L. Negative estrogen receptors and positive progesterone

receptors breast cancers. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod.

2021: 50(2):101928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jogoh.2020.

101928

19. Jiang N, Zhang G, Ma H, Li Y, Li D, Pan L, Liu Y, Liu L,

Han H, Li X, Wang X. Ultrasound features of noncircumscribed margin associates with favorable prognosis in

breast cancer patients in China: a retrospective cohort study.

Eur J Gynaecol Oncol. 2025: 46(6). https://doi.org/10.22514

/ejgo.2025.083

20. Chung C, Yeung VT, Wong KC. Prognostic and predictive

biomarkers with therapeutic targets in breast cancer: A 2022

update on current developments, evidence, and

recommendations. J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2023: 29(6):

1343–1360. https://doi.org/10.1177/10781552221119797

21. Gennari A, André F, Barrios CH, Cortes J, de Azambuja E,

DeMichele A, Dent R, Fenlon D, Gligorov J, Hurvitz SA, Im

SA. ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for the diagnosis,

staging and treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Ann Oncol. 2021: 32(12):1475–1495. https://doi.org/10.1016/

j.annonc.2021.09.019

22. Singh R, Gupta S, Pawar SB, Pawar RS, Gandham SV,

Prabhudesai S. Evaluation of ER, PR and HER-2 receptor

expression in breast cancer patients presenting to a semiurban cancer centre in Western India. J Can Res Ther. 2014:

10:26–28. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1482.131348

Downloads

Published

2026-07-01

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Hormone Receptor Status in Breast Cancer Patients and Its Association with Age and Histopathological Grade in a Tertiary Care Setting. (2026). Journal of Bahria University Medical and Dental College, 16(03), 698-704. https://doi.org/10.51985/

Similar Articles

1-10 of 12

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.