QUANTITATIVE IMAGING OF ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE RECEPTORS, ESTROGEN-REGULATED PROTEIN, AND GROWTH FRACTION - IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL ASSAYS IN52 MENINGIOMAS - CORRELATION WITH CLINICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA

Quantitative imaging of estrogen receptors (ER's), progesterone recept ors (PR's), estrogen-regulated protein (pS2), and growth fraction (Ki6 7) immunocytochemical assays were performed in 52 meningiomas. The res ults were correlated with clinical (age, sex, hormonal status, and tum or volume and location) and morphological (histological types and grad es) data. The authors observed a lack of ER's in all meningiomas but t he presence of PR's in 53% of these meningiomas. The immunoreactivity was restricted to tumor cell nuclei. The PR immunocytochemical assay w as correlated with tumor location, histological type, histological gra de, and pS2 immunocytochemical assay, but not with Ki67 immunocytochem ical assay; high PR content was observed in cisternae, transitional, m eningothelial, and low-grade meningiomas. Only 11 meningiomas showed m ore than 1% Ki67 immunoreactive nuclei. These meningiomas were usually located in the convexity and were of high histological grade. Estroge n-regulated protein immunoreactivity was observed in 34 meningiomas bu t the number of immunoreactive nuclei was low. The pS2 immunocytochemi cal assay was not related to clinicopathological features but was pref erentially observed in PR-negative meningiomas. The results of this st udy are compared with those previously reported, and the function and regulation of PR's in meningiomas is discussed. The results indicate t hat 1) regulation of PR's and pS2 proteins in meningiomas differs from regulation in estrogen-dependent tissues such as breast or endometriu m; 2) interruption of hormonal therapy in women presenting with a meni ngioma is not absolutely necessary; 3) meningiomas have different biol ogical properties according to their clinicopathological features; and 4) future studies of hormonal clinical trials should be performed on well-defined meningioma subgroups.