Stains & CD markers
Progesterone receptor (PR)
Copyright: 2002-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Progesterone receptor [title]
Progesterone receptor (PR)
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Last author update: 1 January 2013
Last staff update: 11 November 2021
Copyright: 2002-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Progesterone receptor [title]
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Uses by pathologists | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive staining - normal | Positive staining - disease | Negative stainingCite this page: Pernick N. Progesterone receptor. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/stainsprog.html. Accessed June 4th, 2023.
Definition / general
- See also Breast-malignant chapter (Wikipedia - Progesterone receptor)
- Standardized process for initial test validation is recommended (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2010;134:930)
- Evaluate % of tumor nuclei stained and intensity of nuclear staining (none, weak, moderate or strong)
- Immunostaining now done on paraffin fixed tissue (previously required fresh tissue)
- Note: cytoplasmic staining only should be interpreted as negative staining
Uses by pathologists
- In breast cancer, predicts response to tamoxifen or other anti-estrogens, only weakly associated with prognosis
- However, compared to ER, PR staining adds only a limited amount of additional predictive information for response to hormonal therapy (Mod Pathol 2004;17:1545)
- For metastatic tumors with unknown primary, relatively specific for breast origin (but numerous exceptions)
- Often discordance between staining in core biopsies versus resections (Ann Oncol 2009;20:1948)
Microscopic (histologic) images
Contributed by Andrey Bychkov, M.D., Ph.D.
Breast, mucinous carcinoma
Breast, invasive ductal carcinoma
Cervix, metastatic breast cancer
Kidney, mixed epithelial & stromal tumor
Uterus, endometrial polyp
Images hosted on other servers:
Bladder, metastatic breast cancer
Breast: invasive ductal carcinoma
Uterus, endometrial stromal sarcoma
Uterus (left to right): leiomyoma, atypical leiomyoma, STUMP
Positive staining - normal
- Breast epithelial cells, Toker cells; endocervical epithelial cells
Positive staining - disease
- Breast: fibroadenoma (stromal cells), myofibroblastoma, phyllodes tumors (epithelial cells), pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia
- Breast carcinoma (usually well differentiated tumors, lobular, mucinous/colloid, sebaceous); endometrial adenocarcinoma (75-96%)
- Cervical carcinoma: endometrioid, minimal deviation
- Endometriosis (glands and stroma)
- Kidney: mixed epithelial and stromal tumor
- Liver: biliary cystadenoma (stroma), hepatic adenoma
- Lymphangiomyomatosis
- Ovarian tumors: endometrioid, ependymoma, fibroma, granulosa cell (juvenile), mucinous borderline-endocervical type; serous (50%)
- Soft tissue aggressive angiomyxoma, angiomyofibroblastoma, cellular angiofibroma
- Solitary fibrous tumor
- Uterus: endometrial carcinoma, endometrial stromal tumors, leiomyoma, STUMP (Diagn Pathol 2012;7:1)
Negative staining
- Breast: apocrine metaplasia and carcinomas, microglandular adenosis, myoepithelium and myoepithelial tumors
- Breast carcinomas-various (triple negative, including adenosquamous, basal-like, BRCA1-related, medullary, metaplastic; also lipid-rich)
- Endocervical adenocarcinoma, ovarian clear cell carcinoma
- Salivary gland intraductal and other carcinomas
- Soft tissue: fibromastosis
- Uterus: serous carcinoma
