J Korean Neurosurg Soc.  1998 Nov;27(11):1525-1532.

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Progesterone Receptor in Intracranial Meningiomas

• Kim JH
• Suh JH
• Kwun BD

Abstract

Meningiomas are common brain tumors that show a predilection for females and become more aggressive during pregnancy and menses. Clinical and epidemiological observations regarding meningiomas suggest a sex hormone dependency of these tumors. We reviewed the 47 intracranial meningiomas to examine the presence of the progesterone receptor(PR) by immunohistochemical methods and the relationships between the PR immunostaining status and other parameters, such as age, sex, tumor grade, mitotic index, and Ki-67 staining index. The PR staining status in these tumors was analyzed by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffinembedded archival tissue sections utilizing the monoclonal antibody. The results are summarized as follows: 1) fifteen tumors(31.9%) tested were positive for the PR, 2) patients age and sex had no significant relationship with the PR positive rate of meningiomas(p=0.680, and 0.968, respectively), 3) although the positive immunostaining rate for the PR in benign meningiomas(37%) was higher than that in atypical and malignant meningiomas(25%), there was no statistically significant difference between these two groups(p=0.381), and 4) proliferative potentials such as the Ki-67 staining index and the mitotic index were not correlated with the PR staining status(p=0.4578 and 0.1981. respectively). We believe that further studies using large series of patients are needed to elucidate the role of the PR in meningiomas.

Keyword

Meningiomas; Sex hormone dependency; Progesterone receptor; Immunohistochemistry; Tumor parameter

MeSH Terms

Brain Neoplasms
Female
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Meningioma*
Mitotic Index
Pregnancy
Progesterone*
Receptors, Progesterone*
Progesterone
Receptors, Progesterone