Renal cancer steroid receptors: biochemical basis for endocrine therapy.

The hypothesis of hormone dependence of human renal cancer, based on experimental and clinical data, has recently been supported by estradiol-receptor (ER) and progesterone-receptor (PR) studies. ER and PR, found in experimental renal cancer as well as in normal human kidney and in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC), have been measured in 27 RCCs from patients submitted to surgery and endocrine therapy, in an attempt to predict the response to progestational therapy . Of these 27 tumors, 59% were positive for ER and 59% for PR; 37% were positive and 19% were negative for both ER and PR. The follow-up of 23 patients so far investigated showed that progestational therapy, commenced in 18 patients, has given favorable results in 14 patients and negative results in 3 patients with ER-PR- renal cancer. Antiestrogenic therapy, started after nephrectomy in 1 patient with ER+PR- renal cancer and lung metastases, failed since the patient died 8 months after surgery.