Biomaterial Database

Interobserver reproducibility of immunocytochemical estrogen- and progesterone receptor status assessment in breast cancer. 1996

S Biesterfeld, and U Veuskens, and F J Schmitz, and B Amo-Takyi, and A Böcking

Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Aachen, Germany.

The interobserver reproducibility in the immunocyto-chemical assessment of estrogen- and progesterone receptor status was investigated in a series of 102 cases of primary breast carcinomas. Immunostaining was performed on 4 microns cryostat sections using estrogen- and progesterone immunocytochemical assays (ER-ICA and PR-ICA) with methylgreen counterstaining. The slides were evaluated independently by two observers. The proportion and staining intensity of ER- or PR-positive tumor cells in areas of invasive tumor growth was subjectively assessed based on the examination of the entire slide. Scoring was performed according to the proposals of Remmele and Reiner. Additionally, the cytosol estrogen- and progesterone receptor content was determined by a standard dextran-coated charcoal (DCC-) assay. Observer 1 interpreted 60 (59%) of the ER-stained specimens and 50 (49%) of the PR-stained specimens as receptor-positive; for observer 2 the respective values were 59 (58%) for ER-stained specimens and 51 (50%) for PR-stained specimens. Positive biochemical receptor status was found in 68 cases with the ER-DCC (67%) and in 47 with the PR-DCC (46%). The interobserver agreement between the two observers on the immunocytochemical receptor status was 89% for the estrogen receptor and 93% for the progesterone receptor 8.8% of the specimens were interpreted differently. Using the Remmele score, the concordance within the group of cases, which had been interpreted as receptor-positive by both observers, was 54% for the estrogen receptor and 57% for the progesterone receptor. The Reiner score showed concordant scorings of 72% for the estrogen receptor and 79% for the progesterone receptor. The present study indicates that complete agreement between scorings of different observers may not be expected, mainly due to differences in the interpretation of the specificity of staining and of the histological structures after immunostaining. The concordance of positive results using the three-graded Reiner score is comparable to that of the three-graded Bloom and Richardson grading system of breast cancer and reflects the limitation of subjective evaluation of morphology in general.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007150	Immunohistochemistry	Histochemical localization of immunoreactive substances using labeled antibodies as reagents.	Immunocytochemistry,Immunogold Techniques,Immunogold-Silver Techniques,Immunohistocytochemistry,Immunolabeling Techniques,Immunogold Technics,Immunogold-Silver Technics,Immunolabeling Technics,Immunogold Silver Technics,Immunogold Silver Techniques,Immunogold Technic,Immunogold Technique,Immunogold-Silver Technic,Immunogold-Silver Technique,Immunolabeling Technic,Immunolabeling Technique,Technic, Immunogold,Technic, Immunogold-Silver,Technic, Immunolabeling,Technics, Immunogold,Technics, Immunogold-Silver,Technics, Immunolabeling,Technique, Immunogold,Technique, Immunogold-Silver,Technique, Immunolabeling,Techniques, Immunogold,Techniques, Immunogold-Silver,Techniques, Immunolabeling
D011960	Receptors, Estrogen	Cytoplasmic proteins that bind estrogens and migrate to the nucleus where they regulate DNA transcription. Evaluation of the state of estrogen receptors in breast cancer patients has become clinically important.	Estrogen Receptor,Estrogen Receptors,Estrogen Nuclear Receptor,Estrogen Receptor Type I,Estrogen Receptor Type II,Estrogen Receptors Type I,Estrogen Receptors Type II,Receptor, Estrogen Nuclear,Receptors, Estrogen, Type I,Receptors, Estrogen, Type II,Nuclear Receptor, Estrogen,Receptor, Estrogen
D011980	Receptors, Progesterone	Specific proteins found in or on cells of progesterone target tissues that specifically combine with progesterone. The cytosol progesterone-receptor complex then associates with the nucleic acids to initiate protein synthesis. There are two kinds of progesterone receptors, A and B. Both are induced by estrogen and have short half-lives.	Progesterone Receptors,Progestin Receptor,Progestin Receptors,Receptor, Progesterone,Receptors, Progestin,Progesterone Receptor,Receptor, Progestin
D001943	Breast Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the human BREAST.	Breast Cancer,Breast Tumors,Cancer of Breast,Breast Carcinoma,Cancer of the Breast,Human Mammary Carcinoma,Malignant Neoplasm of Breast,Malignant Tumor of Breast,Mammary Cancer,Mammary Carcinoma, Human,Mammary Neoplasm, Human,Mammary Neoplasms, Human,Neoplasms, Breast,Tumors, Breast,Breast Carcinomas,Breast Malignant Neoplasm,Breast Malignant Neoplasms,Breast Malignant Tumor,Breast Malignant Tumors,Breast Neoplasm,Breast Tumor,Cancer, Breast,Cancer, Mammary,Cancers, Mammary,Carcinoma, Breast,Carcinoma, Human Mammary,Carcinomas, Breast,Carcinomas, Human Mammary,Human Mammary Carcinomas,Human Mammary Neoplasm,Human Mammary Neoplasms,Mammary Cancers,Mammary Carcinomas, Human,Neoplasm, Breast,Neoplasm, Human Mammary,Neoplasms, Human Mammary,Tumor, Breast
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D015203	Reproducibility of Results	The statistical reproducibility of measurements (often in a clinical context), including the testing of instrumentation or techniques to obtain reproducible results. The concept includes reproducibility of physiological measurements, which may be used to develop rules to assess probability or prognosis, or response to a stimulus; reproducibility of occurrence of a condition; and reproducibility of experimental results.	Reliability and Validity,Reliability of Result,Reproducibility Of Result,Reproducibility of Finding,Validity of Result,Validity of Results,Face Validity,Reliability (Epidemiology),Reliability of Results,Reproducibility of Findings,Test-Retest Reliability,Validity (Epidemiology),Finding Reproducibilities,Finding Reproducibility,Of Result, Reproducibility,Of Results, Reproducibility,Reliabilities, Test-Retest,Reliability, Test-Retest,Result Reliabilities,Result Reliability,Result Validities,Result Validity,Result, Reproducibility Of,Results, Reproducibility Of,Test Retest Reliability,Validity and Reliability,Validity, Face
D015588	Observer Variation	The failure by the observer to measure or identify a phenomenon accurately, which results in an error. Sources for this may be due to the observer's missing an abnormality, or to faulty technique resulting in incorrect test measurement, or to misinterpretation of the data. Two varieties are inter-observer variation (the amount observers vary from one another when reporting on the same material) and intra-observer variation (the amount one observer varies between observations when reporting more than once on the same material).	Bias, Observer,Interobserver Variation,Intraobserver Variation,Observer Bias,Inter-Observer Variability,Inter-Observer Variation,Interobserver Variability,Intra-Observer Variability,Intra-Observer Variation,Intraobserver Variability,Inter Observer Variability,Inter Observer Variation,Inter-Observer Variabilities,Inter-Observer Variations,Interobserver Variabilities,Interobserver Variations,Intra Observer Variability,Intra Observer Variation,Intra-Observer Variabilities,Intra-Observer Variations,Intraobserver Variabilities,Intraobserver Variations,Observer Variations,Variabilities, Inter-Observer,Variabilities, Interobserver,Variabilities, Intra-Observer,Variabilities, Intraobserver,Variability, Inter-Observer,Variability, Interobserver,Variability, Intra-Observer,Variability, Intraobserver,Variation, Inter-Observer,Variation, Interobserver,Variation, Intra-Observer,Variation, Intraobserver,Variation, Observer,Variations, Inter-Observer,Variations, Interobserver,Variations, Intra-Observer,Variations, Intraobserver,Variations, Observer