IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTORS IN ENDOMETRIOTIC TISSUE - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF PARAFFIN-EMBEDDED ANDFRESH-FROZEN TISSUES

30 formalin-fixed and paraffin embedded and 20 fresh frozen samples of endometriotic tissue were analysed immunohistochemically for the conc entration of estrogen and progesterone receptors. In the formalin-fixe d and paraffin embedded group only 37% of the samples were estrogen re ceptor positive whereas 63% were receptor negative. In contrast, we fo und that 67% of the samples had a positive progesterone receptor statu s. In the fresh frozen group 60% of endometriotic tissues were estroge n receptor positive and 75% of the tissues had a positive progesterone receptor status. We could not find any correlation between the site o r severity of the endometriosis or the hormonal receptor status. We we re able to demonstrate that the immunohistochemical detection of hormo nal receptors in endometriotic tissues is possible and that better res ults were obtained if fresh frozen rather than formalin-fixed and para ffin embedded tissues were analyzed.