Steroid receptors in CNS: estradiol(ER) and progesterone(PR) receptors in human spinal cord tumors.

To investigate the role of steroid hormones in the occurrence and growth of human spinal cord tumors and to study the biochemical basis of the sex related difference in the incidence of the various spinal oncotypes, ER and PR have been measured in 24 human spinal cord tumors (12 neurinomas, 6 meningiomas, 5 ependymomas and 1 astrocytoma) by means of sodium thiocyanate exchange assay at low temperature and with dextran-coated charcoal method and R5020 for PR. Cytoplasmic and nuclear receptors have been evaluated. Neurinomas are the oncotypes which contained both ER (usually in the nuclear fraction) adn PR: estradiol binding has been found only in one meningioma; ependymomas contained cytoplasmic ER and the astrocytoma had nuclear ER and cytoplasmic PR. The dissociation constant is in favour of a high affinity binding (Kd = 0.15 X 10(-9)M for ERc; Kd = 3.85 X 10(-9)M for ERn; Kd = 8.07 X 10(-9)M for PRc). The overall incidence of steroid receptors in the spinal oncotypes studied is higher in male than in female patients (63.64 vs 46.15% for ER and 100 vs 71.43% for PR). Further studies on a greater number of patients will help to define the correlation between different spinal oncotypes and steroid receptors as well as the possibility of an endocrine therapy as adjuvant treatment for selected patients.