Steroid receptors and progestinic therapy in ovarian endometrioid carcinoma

On the basis of a personal series of 43 cases of ovarian endometrioid carcinoma the Authors point out that this histologic type is more hormonosensitive than the other ovarian carcinomas. Their search for ER and PgR receptors in the tumour tissue showed a particularly high incidence of positive cases (81.3% and 72.1% respectively). Furthermore, the adjuvant, high-dose MAP therapy (Farlutal) obtained a high incidence of positive responses with neoplastic regression in 53.5% of the patients, all of whom were PgR-and/or ER-positive cases. 71.2% of the cases that could be followed survived at 3 years and 57.1% survived at 5 years from the beginning of the therapy. From this standpoint too, the Authors compare ovarian endometrioid carcinoma to endometrial carcinoma and believe that the determination of estrogen and progesterone receptors in the neoplastic tissue can apply to the former too as a cryterion to select patients eligible for progestinic therapy.