US EPA

1977226 

Journal Article 

Estrogen receptor beta is expressed in human colorectal adenocarcinoma 

Witte, D; Chirala, M; Younes, A; Li, Y; Younes, M 

2001 

Yes 

Human Pathology
ISSN: 0046-8177
EISSN: 1532-8392 

32 

9 

940-944 

English 

11567223 

10.1053/hupa.2001.27117 

WOS:000171124300007 

http://://WOS:000171124300007
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Estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta) has recently been detected
in a human colon cancer cell line. The aim of this work was to determine whether ER-beta is
expressed in human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) tissue and the extent of this expression. ER-beta
expression in CRC was investigated by immunohistochemical staining of sections of formalin-fixed,
paraffin-embedded tissue from 55 CRC. The percent of positive cells was recorded. ER-beta
immunoreactivity was always present in normal epithelium and adenomas in the same sections of
some CRC and was always nuclear. In CRC, nuclear ER-beta immunoreactivity was detected in > 10%
of the cancer cells in 67% of the cases and was almost always associated with cytoplasmic
immunoreactivity There were no statistically significant differences between the ER-beta -
positive and -negative groups in regard to depth of invasion, nodal metastases, or survival,
regardless of the cut-off value used. We conclude that (1) a significant number of CRCs are
positive for ER-beta. (2) estrogen may play an important role in the proliferation of normal
colonic epithelium, and (3) there is differential localization of ER-beta immunoreactivity
between normal colon, adenomas, and CRCs.(Whether different ER-beta isoforms are differentially
expressed in CRCs, and whether human CRCs respond to treatment with antiestrogens, is the subject
of studies currently in progress.Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company. 

estrogen receptors; immunohistochemistry; colon cancer