Sex hormone receptors in hepatocellular carcinoma. Is there a rationale for hormonal treatment?

The present study assessed the tumor concentration of receptors for estrogens, progesterone and androgens in a series of Western patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Receptors for estrogens and for progesterone were determined by enzyme immunoassay, while androgen receptors were determined by receptor binding assay. Receptors for progesterone were always absent. Estrogen receptors were detected in only 4 tumors, while in the remaining specimens estrogen receptor concentration was lower than 5 fmol/mg of protein. The concentration of receptors within the tumor was not related to the presence of receptor in the non-tumoral liver, which contained estrogen receptors in 12 cases, ranging between 5 and 27 fmol/mg of protein. In contrast, 14 of the 26 tumors contained androgen receptors at concentrations ranging between 2 and 211 fmol/mg of protein; these were not related to the characteristics of the underlying liver, which contained androgen receptors in 14 cases. The results suggest that the beneficial effects of tamoxifen on the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma cannot be explained by the action of this drug on estrogen receptors and that anti-androgen therapy may have some benefit in patients with androgen-receptor-positive tumors.