Study of oestrogen and progesterone in meningiomas by a technique utilizing the binding hormones in a polymerized state

Many of the meningiomas have been found to be hormone dependent. Hormone-blockers have been tried as a mode of therapy, however, with little success. This work was conducted to find out the percentage positivity for oestrogen and progestrone receptors in meningiomas. Fortysix cases of meningiomas were stained by utilizing oestrogen and progestrone hormone bound to Fluroscent-isothiocynate (FITC) according to the method of Pertschuk. We found that tumours were positive for oestrogen receptors in 30% of cases. Only one forth of these showed strong positivity. The other tumours were mild to moderatively positive. Progestrone receptors were positive in 36% of cases and most of them were strongly positive. Thus this study revealed that progestrone positivity rate is higher than oestrogen receptor positivity. However, positivity rate is low in this Indian study compared to Western literature.