Sex Steroid Receptor Distribution in the Human Larynx and Laryngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

\s=b\Previous reports of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) in the human larynx and laryngeal carcinoma have relied on ligand-binding techniques using cytosol from tissue homogenates. These methods obscure the contribution of different tissue components to total receptor content. Recently developed, highly specific monoclonal antibodies to human ER and PgR were able to discern the presence of ER and PgR at the cellular level in 12 specimens of normal laryngeal tissue and eight laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. Localization of ER and PgR was observed in the nuclei of vocalis muscle. No evidence of ER or PgR was found in epithelial components of the normal larynges or in laryngeal carcinomas. These results extend previous findings in lower primates and rodents to the human larynx and clarify previously reported receptor analyses of laryngeal carcinomas.

Towards the Expression of Sex Hormone Receptors in the Human Vocal Fold

“…Furthermore, the absence of any specific nuclear staining in the study presented differs from the results of Ferguson et al 13 Using cryostat sections of four autopsies within 16 hours of death fixed in formaldehyde, they found specific nuclear staining in the vocalis muscle in the lamina propria and mesenchymal tissue; no staining was detectable in the epithelium.…”

Analysis of sex-hormone-receptor expression in laryngeal carcinoma

“…In this respect, our results are well in line with the findings of Tuohima et al [28], Mattox et al [18], Scambia et al [25], Ferguson et al [7] and Schuller et al [26], since we found no significant amount of receptor protein in our cases using the biochemical approach. Furthermore, our immunohistochemical analysis corroborates the biochemical findings, as we did not find any specific staining for AR, ER or PR.…”

“…From these observations, they concluded that there was no significant increase or decrease in the expression of ARs in the tissue of laryngeal carcinomas [28]. Similar observations have been made by Mattox et al [18], Ferguson et al [7] and Scambia et al [25]. Schuller and co-workers also could not find a significant amount of ERs or PRs in laryngeal cancer using the multipoint dextran-coated charcoal biochemical method [26].…”

Immunohistochemical Examinations of Sex Hormone Receptors in Benign Vocal Fold Lesions

“…We could not detect expression of the analyzed hormone receptors. Our results contradicted data presented by other authors on the expression of sex hormone receptors in laryngeal tissue [15,16] . Although sex hormone receptors could be found in other human tissues even several hours postmortem, down-regulation or degradation of sex hormone receptors cannot be excluded.…”

“…We did not succeed in confirming the data on the expression of sex hormone receptors in human laryngeal tissue, as described previously by other authors [15,16] . As long as the location of ER-␣ , PR and AR is expected to be in the nucleus and nuclear staining interpreted in immunohistochemistry as 'gold standard' in reference gynecopathological laboratories, the results obtained by Newman et al [18] should be considered as 'false positive'.…”