Sex hormone-receptor-negative tumors have a higher proliferative activity than sex hormone-receptor-positive tumors in human adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract

To determine whether a correlation exists between hormone receptors and their proliferative activities, the levels of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) in surgical specimens from 23 patients with gastric cancer and from 32 patients with colorectal cancer were investigated using an enzyme immunoassay. These values were examined in relation to the parameters of cell kinetics determined by DNA flow cytometry. When the cutoff value was determined as 2.0 fmol/mg of cytosolic protein, ER and PgR were found in 13 (56%) and 6 (26%) of the 23 patients with gastric cancer, respectively, and in 10 (31%) and 10 (31%) of the 32 patients with colorectal cancer, respectively. There was a significant correlation in the expressions of ER between the cancer tissues and normal mucosa (P=0.040). Although the expressions of ER or PgR were apparently not related to pathological status, better correlations of hormone receptor-negative tumors with increased hyperaneuploid levels were evident. According to a multiple regression analysis, ER levels significantly correlated with changes in the DNA index (P=0.041) and in the heterogeneity index score (HIS) (P=0.034). Thus, sex hormone receptors proved to be relevant factors associated with the proliferative activity of adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract. These findings indicate that the expression of hormone receptors provides pertinent biological information required to determine adequate therapeutic regimens in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. This study was supported in part by a grant from the Liver and Kidney Diseases Foundation of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, Japan     

A study on the correlation between estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and tamoxifen binding sites in human breast cancer tissues

In order to examine the clinical significance of the tamoxifen binding site, correlations between the concentration of the tamoxifen binding site and either the estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PgR) were studied. A saturable high-affinity tamoxifen binding site was detected in human breast cancer tissues. The concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in 12,000 g supernatant of ER positive tumors was 122.3 +/- 186.8 (mean +/- SD) fmol/mg protein, and that of ER negative tumors was 68.38 +/- 82.97 fmol/mg protein. The concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in 12,000 g supernatant of PgR positive tumors was 103.7 +/- 137.3 fmol/mg protein, and that in the 12,000 g supernatant of PgR negative tumors was 90.29 +/- 159.0 fmol/mg protein. There was no significant difference between the concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in the 12,000 g supernatant of ER positive tumors and ER negative tumors, and there was no significant difference between the concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in the 12,000 g supernatant of PgR positive tumors and PgR negative tumors. The concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in the cytosol of PgR positive tumors was 90.55 +/- 103.5 fmol/mg protein, and that in the cytosol of PgR negative tumors was 29.13 +/- 42.22 fmol/mg protein. There was a significant difference between them (p less than 0.05). The concentration of tamoxifen binding sites in 12,000 g supernatant had no correlation with the values of ER and PgR. Only the content of tamoxifen binding sites in cytosol, and the PgR value had a significant correlation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A study on the correlation between estrogen receptor,progesterone receptor and tamoxifen binding sites in human breast cancer tissues

In order to examine the clinical significance of the tamoxifen binding site, correlations between the concentration of the tamoxifen binding site and either the estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PgR) were studied. A saturable high-affinity tamoxifen binding site was detected in human breast cancer tissues. The concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in 12,000 g supernatant of ER positive tumors was 122.3±186.8 (mean±SD) fmol/mg protein, and that of ER negative tumors was 68.38±82.97 fmol/mg protein. The concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in 12,000 g supernatant of PgR positive tumors was 103.7±137.3 fmol/mg protein, and that in the 12,000 g supernatant of PgR negative tumors was 90.29±159.0 fmol/mg protein. There was no significant difference between the concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in the 12,000 g supernatant of ER positive tumors and ER negative tumors, and there was no significant difference between the concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in the 12,000 g supernatant of PgR positive tumors and PgR negative tumors. The concentration of the tamoxifen binding sites in the cytosol of PgR positive tumors was 90.55±103.5 fmol/mg protein, and that in the cytosol of PgR negative tumors was 29.13±42.22 fmol/mg protein. There was a significant difference between them (p<0.05). The concentration of tamoxifen binding sites in 12,000 g supernatant had no correlation with the values of ER and PgR. Only the content of tamoxifen binding sites in cytosol, and the PgR value had a significant correlation. From these results, it was considered that there is a possibility of the tamoxifen binding site being a marker of endocrine therapy.     

Relationship between the content of estrogen and progesterone receptors and the pathological characteristics in human breast cancer

Assays of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) were performed by using the dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) method in 124 cases of invasive breast cancer. The results were correlated with clinical and pathological characteristics. There was no correlation between steroid hormone receptor contents and menopausal status, size of tumor, axillary lymph node status, or histological type. The presences of ER and PgR were significantly correlated with histological grade and its mitotic component. 78.3% of well-differentiated (Grade I) tumors were ER positive. Of this number, 61.1% were also PgR positive. In contrast, 69.0% of poorly differentiated (Grade III) tumors were ER and PgR negative. Tumors with a prominent lymphoid infiltration demonstrated a low frequency of positive ER and PgR. There was a significant inverse correlation between the degree of lymphoid infiltration and histological grade. These results suggest that the ER and PgR status of tumors may indicate a malignancy, and prognostic information can thus be obtained independently of other known factors such as size of the tumor and axillary lymph node status.     

Relationship between the content of estrogen and progesterone receptors and the pathological characteristics in human breast cancer

Assays of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) were performed by using the dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) method in 124 cases of invasive breast cancer. The results were correlated with clinical and pathological characteristics. There was no correlation between steroid hormone receptor contents and menopausal status, size of tumor, axillary lymph node status, or histological type. The presences of ER and PgR were significantly correlated with histological grade and its mitotic component. 78.3% of well-differentiated (Grade I) tumors were ER positive. Of this number, 61.1% were also PgR positive. In contrast, 69.0% of poorly differentiated (Grade III) tumors were ER and PgR negative. Tumors with a prominent lymphoid infiltration demonstrated a low frequency of positive ER and PgR. There was a significant inverse correlation between the degree of lymphoid infiltration and histological grade. These results suggest that the ER and PgR status of tumors may indicate a malignancy, and prognostic information can thus be obtained independently of other known factors such as size of the tumor and axillary lymph node status.     

Evidence that Serenoa repens extract displays an antiestrogenic activity in prostatic tissue of benign prostatic hypertrophy patients.

A double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed in 35 benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) patients never treated before. The patients were randomized into two groups, the 1st (18 cases) receiving Serenoa repens extract (160 mg t.d.) for 3 months up to the day before the operation of transvesical adenomectomy and the 2nd (17 cases) receiving placebo. Steroid receptors were evaluated in the nuclear (n) and cytosolic (c) fraction using the saturation analysis technique (Scatchard analysis or single saturating-dose assay) for androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptors and the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for ER and progesterone receptors (PgR). Scatchard analysis of ERc and ERn revealed the presence of two classes of binding sites, one with high-affinity low-capacity binding and the other with low-affinity high-capacity binding. In the untreated BPH group, ER were higher in the n than in the c fraction: ERn were positive in 14 cases and ERc in 12 of 17 cases. In the BPH group treated with S. repens extract on the contrary, ERn were negative for both binding classes in 17 cases and ERc in 6 of 18 cases. Using EIA, ERn and ERc were detected in all 15 samples examined, but in the treated group, ERn were significantly (p less than 0.01) lower than in the untreated group, whilst ERc remained almost unchanged. Similar results were obtained measuring PgR: the n fraction of the treated group prostatic samples was significantly (p less than 0.01) lower than that of the untreated group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Quantitative relationships between cytosol and nuclear estrogen and progesterone receptors in the R3327 prostatic carcinoma of rats treated with diethylstilbestrol

Estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER, PgR) were quantitated by Scatchard analysis in cytosolic and nuclear extracts of R3327H prostatic carcinomas from rats injected with 100 micrograms diethylstilbestrol or with vehicle for 1-3 weeks. Total tissue ER concentrations were less than 80 fm/mg DNA in control tumors and were not significantly higher in treated tumors: however, in the latter, a significantly higher proportion (73 +/- 16%) was associated with the nuclear fraction than in the control tumors (less than 33%). Mean PgR concentrations were more than seven-fold higher in treated than in control tumors, and approximately 25% of the total was associated with the nuclear fraction in both treated and control tumors, under the assay conditions used. There was a strong linear correlation between nuclear ER and PgR concentrations. These data indicate that although ER concentration in these tumors was low compared with that in female target organs, it was functional in its ability to associate with the nuclear fraction and induce synthesis of an estrogen-induced protein (PgR) in proportionate amounts.     

Comparison of the R-3327H rat prostatic adenocarcinoma to human benign prostatic hyperplasia and metastatic carcinoma of the prostate with regard to steroid hormone receptors

Quantitative analyses of cytosolic steroid hormone receptors were performed on nine tumors from the transplantable rat prostatic adenocarcinoma R-3327H. Androgen receptors and estrogen receptors were found in eight of nine and five of six tumors, respectively. None of the tumours analyzed contained detectable progestin or glucocorticoid receptors (four and seven tumors, respectively). The apparent equilibrium dissociation constants for the androgen and estrogen receptors were 0.7-4.3 nM and 0.6-1.8 nM, respectively. The apparent equilibrium Bmax values (maximum number of binding sites) were 1,500-25,000 fmoles/gm tissue for the androgen receptor and 640 to 5,800 fmoles/gm tissue for the estrogen receptor. A comparison between the receptor contents of the R-3327H rat tumor and human benign prostatic hyperplasia and metastatic carcinoma of the prostate showed that the rat tumor was different from the human tissues in several respects. Hence, the search for an optimal animal model for prostatic carcinoma in man must be continued.     

Breast Intracystic Papillary Carcinoma: An Update

Abstract:  Intracystic papillary carcinoma (IPC), a breast tumor mainly occuring in the elderly, has long been considered as a variant of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). This is now debated since metastatic cases have been reported. In this study, surgical pieces of 20 IPCs were reassessed, and markers of myopepithelial layer (p63, CD10 and Smooth Muscle Actin) as well as estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) and C-erb-B2 oncoprotein expression were systematically performed and quantified. In 10 cases, an associated unequivocal invasive component was found. In all 20 cases, no myoepithelial layer was found. Eighteen tumors were ER positive, 14 were PgR positive. Moreover, none of the tumors over-expressed C-erb-B2 oncoprotein. Therefore this study showed that in all cases of IPC there were microscopic features of invasive carcinoma despite good clinical prognostic indicators, and that precise characterization of tumors requires extensive paraffin embedding of surgical pieces.     

Progesterone receptors regulate gallbladder motility

The increased incidence of gallstones in multiparous women may be related to hormonal effects on the gallbladder and its contractility. The occurrence of estrogen and progesterone receptors were studied in the gallbladders of three groups of female guinea pigs (normals, oophorectomized, and oophorectomized treated with estrogen + progesterone for 14 days). Gallbladder contractile response in vivo to cholecystokinin (CCK) was related to the presence of these receptors. The gallbladders from normal females showed low progesterone and estrogen binding activity (4.9 +/- 2.0 and 2.4 +/- 0.8 fmoles/mg cytosol protein). Oophorectomized females had no detectable progesterone or estrogen receptors, but after treating oophorectomized females for 14 days with estrogen + progesterone, gallbladder concentrations of progesterone receptors increased significantly to 14.7 +/- 5.9 fmoles/mg and estrogen binding activity was minimally detectable at 1.4 +/- 0.8 fmoles/mg. The gallbladder contractile response to CCK was inversely related to the concentration of progesterone receptors in the gallbladder wall. These data suggest that the gallbladder contains progesterone receptors which are susceptible to circulating hormonal conditions and which have a regulatory effect on gallbladder contractility.     

Evidence for the association between blood prolactin and androgen receptors in BPH

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between prostatic androgen receptors and plasma prolactin and testosterone in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cytosolic and KCl extractable nuclear androgen receptors were measured in 22 patients and these were in turn correlated to the hormone concentrations in blood specimens taken on the morning before the day of operation. The mean +/- S.E.M. concentrations of cytoplasmic androgen receptors, KCl extractable nuclear androgen receptors, plasma testosterone and plasma prolactin were respectively 115 +/- 18 fmoles/gm. tissue, 198 +/- 40 fmoles/gm. tissue, 15.6 +/- 1.2 nmol./l. and 128 +/- 17 mU/l. Plasma prolactin was highly correlated with cytosolic androgen receptors (r = 0.784, p less than 0.01; no. = 15) though not with nuclear androgen receptors (r = 0.453, p greater than 0.05; no. = 15). However, when the androgen receptor levels were expressed as fmoles/mg. protein both cytosolic and nuclear levels were proportional to plasma prolactin (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.02 for both the cytosolic and nuclear receptors respectively; no. = 15). There was no correlation between either cytosolic and nuclear androgen receptors and plasma testosterone levels. The results suggest that plasma prolactin may be involved in the regulation of androgen receptor content in the benign prostate.     

The prognosis of patients with gastric cancer possessing sex hormone receptors

Estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) were immunohistologically investigated in 107 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative resection. Both ER and PgR were detected only in the cancer cell nucleus. The ER positive rate was 27.7% for males and 31.0% for females, while the PgR positive rate was 9.2% for males and 11.9% for females. Clinicopathologically, the ER positive rate was slightly higher in young females and in cases of poorly differentiated gastric cancer. When cumulative survival rates were analyzed in relation to the presence or absence of receptors, the 10-year cumulative survival rate after surgery was significantly lower in the ER positive cases, being 15.7% cent, than in the ER negative cases, being 62.7%, and also significantly lower in the PgR positive cases, being 18.2%, than in the PgR negative cases, being 48.3%. The coexistence of ER and PgR in gastric cancer tissue suggests that the ER is physiologically active, or that ER positive gastric cancer is hormone-dependent. The poor prognosis of patients with receptor positive gastric cancer suggests that gastric cancer with these receptors is highly malignant.     

Immunocytochemical localization of estrogen and progesterone receptors in human thyroid

The presence of steroid hormone receptors has previously been suggested in thyroid tissue by biochemical means. Our studies were designed to confirm these results and to localize the specific receptor-containing cell type using a novel immunocytochemical method. Monoclonal antibodies specific to estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) were used to localize these steroid hormone receptors in the human thyroid gland. Frozen tissue sections from surgical specimens excised from 22 patients of both sexes with benign thyroid disease were studied. The sections were incubated with rat antiestrophilin and antiprogesterone receptor antibodies and were then exposed to rabbit anti-rat IgG and to rat peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex. The reaction product was visualized with diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride and hydrogen peroxide. Four specimens were positive for both ER and PgR, 16 were ER-positive and PgR-negative, and two were negative for both ER and PgR. Positive reactivity was limited to the follicular lining cell nuclei and varied from focal to diffuse. The immunohistochemical findings confirmed the presence of ER and PgR in the thyroid tissue and demonstrated for the first time that these receptors are present only in the nuclei of the lining cells of the thyroid follicle. The role of steroid hormone receptors in the thyroid in health and disease remains to be explained.     

Human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) serially transplanted into nude mice

The tumor cells (0.5 ml, 1×10⁷) of MCF-7 line were inoculated into the subcutaneous tissue or intraperitoneum of female BALB/c nude mice. Primarily tansplanted mice were treated with 17β-estradiol dipropionate (E₂) in a dose of 5 mg/kg and 17α-hydroxy progesterone caproate (Pg) in a dose of 250 mg/kg once a week. After the transferable strain was established, tumors were transplanted into female and male mice treated with E₂, Pg, and E₂+Pg. The tumors treated with E₂ or E₂+Pg grew exponentially while tumors in the other group regressed. Pg was assumed to play some role in the growth of MCF-7, in the presence of estrogen. Although cytosol estrogen receptors (ERc), nuclear estrogen receptors (ERn), and progesterone receptors (PgR) were detected by dextran coatedcharcoal method and exchange assay in the growing tumors, ERn and PgR of regressing tumors was usually negative. This MCF-7 strain in nude mice may be a promising animal model for studying chemo-hormone therapy for human breast carcinomas.     

Adjuvant endocrine therapies for pre-/perimenopausal women

Endocrine therapy in the form of ovarian ablation was developed over a century ago. It remains nonetheless one of the most effective and most clearly targeted form of systemic therapy for breast cancer. Endocrine or hormonal therapy has an effect on virtually only those women whose tumors are positive for estrogen receptors (ER) and/or progesterone receptors (PgR). The presence of these steroid hormone receptors remains the most useful predictive factor in selecting therapy for breast cancer.     

The Estrogen Receptor Paradox in Breast Cancer: Association of High Receptor Concentrations with Reduced Overall Survival

Occasional reports have suggested an unfavorable effect of high estrogen receptor (ER) concentrations in primary breast cancer. In a population-based study we identified a subgroup explicitly exhibiting this seemingly paradoxical effect. ER concentrations were prospectively measured in a single laboratory by multipoint DCC assay. The relative risk of death in relation to the concentration of the interval-scaled variables ER and PgR was continually estimated by serial Cox regression analyses. Thus we circumvented loss of information due to primary categorization and avoided assumptions about relations between factor and risk. Based on 2,735 consecutively accrued primary breast cancer cases (median follow-up 56 months) we identified node-negative patients up to 60 years of age as the relevant subpopulation. High (>/=300 fmol/mg protein) ER concentrations exhibited an even more unfavorable impact (p < 0.03) on overall survival than ER concentrations of less than 10 fmol/mg protein. The well-known association of age and ER concentration was definitely excluded as an underlying biological cause for the increased risk. Differences in the distribution of other prognostic factors (HER-2/neu, Ki-67, DNA ploidy) were also excluded. As we observed a preponderance of pT2 tumors in the high ER group, we repeated the analysis, selectively focusing on pT2 tumors in the relevant subgroup, but the effect remained unchanged. In contrast, node-positive patients adjusted for age significantly (p = 0.02) profited from high ER concentrations as compared to the ER-negative group. As the phenomenon did not occur in node-positive patients, receptor defects in the high-ER group seem unlikely. To the contrary, we suspect that ER overexpressing cells are hypersensitive even to low levels of estrogens. Once they have sneaked past local barriers prior to primary surgery, they may cause early death in the absence of appropriate adjuvant endocrine therapy.     

Hormonal dependency of cerebral meningiomas. Part 1: Female sex steroid receptors and their significance as specific markers for adjuvant medical therapy

Female sex steroid receptors were examined in 50 human cerebral meningiomas. For estrogen receptors, high-affinity binding sites (dissociation constant (Kd): 0.05 to 0.2 nM) were found in the cytosolic fraction with a capacity of less than 4 fmol/mg protein in 10 meningiomas using a dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) assay. In the same cytosolic fraction, the solid-phase enzyme immunoassay revealed only one cytosol with a positive colorimetric reaction equal to 5 fmol/mg protein. However, in the nuclear compartment, none of the tumors stained positively for estrogen receptors with immunohistochemical techniques. In addition, the most convincing evidence for the absence of estrogen receptors was obtained by in situ hybridization using an oligonucleotide probe complementary to a fraction of the human receptor messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). In none of the 50 meningiomas was the expression of estrogen mRNA coding for the estrogen receptor detected. For progesterone receptors, high-affinity binding sites (Kd: 0.3 to 2.6 nM) were found in 49 of the 50 tumors using a DCC assay. In the same cytosols, solid-phase enzyme immunoassay revealed that each tumor was positive for progesterone receptors. However, in the nuclear compartment, only five tumors had partially positive staining for progesterone receptors with immunohistochemical techniques. Within the confines of this study, it is concluded that: 1) the estrogen receptor is generally absent in meningioma tissue, and 2) the progesterone receptor is mainly absent in the nuclear compartment, leading to the conclusion that the cytosolic progesterone receptor may be an inactive form. This study suggests that female sex steroid receptors are not primarily involved in the proliferative rate of cerebral meningiomas and that they are of no current significance as markers for adjuvant medical therapy of most meningiomas.     

Simultaneous and sequential determinations of steroid hormone receptors in human breast cancer. Influence of intervening therapy.

Estrogen (ER), progesterone (PgR), and androgen (AR) receptors were measured in two simultaneous or subsequent specimens taken each from 259 patients with breast cancer. We studied in 182 patients results from receptor assays, either from one tumor or from the primary tumor, and a lymph node metastasis, and in 77 sequential biopsies with or without intervening therapy. All assays were performed in a single laboratory, considering 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein bound ligand as receptor positive. The concordance rate in simultaneous ER assays was 85%; however, we found a considerable high discordance rate for PgR in primary tumor and lymph node metastasis (25%). The overall discordance rate in sequential biopsies for ER was 38% and for PgR 25%. This discordance rate was primarily dependent on the receptor quality of the first assay (ER+: 50%, ER-: 24%, PgR+: 68%, PgR-: 9%). Considering only the ER+ and PgR+ cases, we found the greatest discordance rate in the patients having endocrine treatment following the first biopsy (55% and 84%, respectively). We conclude that the receptor status of one tumor biopsy is highly representative for other tumor or lymph node biopsies. Because of the high discordance rate of primarily receptor + cases in subsequent recurrences, the receptor quality of these lesions should be analyzed whenever possible.     

Relationship of age and menopausal status to estrogen receptor content in primary carcinoma of the breast

The cytosolic estrogen receptor (CER) content of 1037 primary breast carcinomas was evaluated by sucrose density gradient analysis. Tumor specimens from premenopausal patients had significantly lower levels of CER (14.6 +/- 1.5 (mean +/- SEM) 8S binding fmole/mg protein) compared with carcinomas from postmenopausal patients (57.5 +/- 3.9 fmole/mg protein; p less than 0.001). The proportion of specimens with CER levels above threshold values of 3, 7, or 10 fmoles/mg protein were significantly higher for postmenopausal patients (72%, 63%, 59%, respectively) than for premenopausal patients (56%, 42%, 36%, p less than 0.001). When compared within half-decades, no statistically significant differences between premenopausal and postmenopausal patients were observed for mean, median, or rank sums of CER levels (p greater than 0.3). When patients were compared by half-decades, both mean and ranked sums of CER levels were significantly different (p less than 0.001). The proportion of specimens that demonstrated CER levels above a threshold value of 10 fmole/mg protein increased sequentially from a low of 13/51 (26%) for patients less than 35 years to a high of 60/81 (74%) for patients greater than 75 years.     

Characteristics and biological role of steroid hormone receptors in neuroepithelial tumors

Tissue samples from 57 patients with neuroepithelial tumors (25 glioblastomas, 18 anaplastic astrocytomas, and 14 astrocytomas) were analyzed in order to evaluate the presence of estrogen, progesterone, glucocorticoid, and androgen receptors. Glucocorticoid- and androgen-specific binding proteins were present in 38.6% and 21.6% of the cases, respectively. Only a few tumors showed estrogen or progesterone receptors. A correlation was found between grade of anaplasia, patient's sex and age, and presence of glucocorticoid and androgen receptors. The biological role of these two receptors was investigated in 10 primary cell cultures derived from neuroepithelial tumors. For this purpose, dexamethasone and testosterone were added to culture medium at different concentrations (from 50 to 0.016 micrograms/ml). A significant stimulation of the cell growth was observed in four of five glucocorticoid receptor-positive cultures when dexamethasone in doses ranging from 2 to 0.016 microgram/ml was added to the culture. No modulation of the growth was observed in glucocorticoid receptor-negative cultures at the same doses. Higher dexamethasone doses induced a significant decrease of the growth index independently from the glucocorticoid receptor status. All of the cultures tested for testosterone activity were negative for androgen receptors. This hormone induced an inhibition of the growth index at doses ranging from 50 to 0.4 micrograms/ml. The data suggest that neuroepithelial tumors contain specific glucocorticoid and androgen binding proteins. Glucocorticoid receptors modulate the growth of cultured neuroepithelial tumors in the presence of different concentrations of dexamethasone.