OBJECTIVE To determine the expressions and relationship between estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PgRs) in breast cancer in Indian women. METHODS Surgically removed breast cancer tissues were collected from Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India, taking (n = 300) cases of infiltrating duct cancer of Indian women after radical mastectomy and lumpectomy; the age- and menopausal-related subgroups satisfied this requirement. METHODS Statistical significance was calculated by the likelihood ratio test; relative risk served to check for significant differences. Relapse-free interval probabilities were calculated according to Kaplan and Meier, with Cox-Mantel test comparing survival functions and P values. RESULTS We observed that only in middle-aged postmenopausal patients bearing pT2 tumors were ER and PgR receptors shown to have a prognostic significance with the lowest tested cutoff value being 5 fmol/mg. CONCLUSIONS Immunohistochemistry analysis has been shown to be a prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer; the major aim of determining the ER receptor status is to assess predictive response to hormonal therapy.