Immunohistochemical expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors in endometrial polyps and adjacent endometrium in postmenopausal women

Objective: To detect the presence of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in endometrial polyps and adjacent endometrium in postmenopausal women. Methods: Forty-four consecutively enrolled postmenopausal patients were submitted to operative hysteroscopy. These patients had diagnosed benign endometrial polyp, The presence of ER and PR was determined in endometrial samples and polyps by immunohistochemical method and the slides were evaluated using a semiquantitative analysis. Results: In the glandular epithelium, the median of the ER score was 7.0 in the polyps and 5.0 in the endometrium (P<0.0001) and the median of the PR was 6.0 in the polyps and 4.0 in the endometrium (P<0.0001). In the stroma, the median of the ER score was 6.0 in the polyps and 5.0 in the endometrium (P = 0.021) and the median of the PR score was 4.0 in the polyps and 4.5 in the endometrium (P = 0.34). Conclusions: Our data suggests that steroids receptors present a crucial role in the phisiopathology of the endometrial polyps in postmenopausal women, specially the estrogen receptors. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.