CLINICO--PATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION OF ESTROGEN RECEPTOR ALPHA GENE POLYMORPHISM AND ESTROGEN RECEPTOR IN BREAST CANCER

Seldom has a disease evoked more interest and dreadful fear in the common man like it has for cancer. Breast cancer, amongst all cancers, continues to evoke such responses and even more research, especially since the treatment involves surgery which leaves physical and emotional scars in its victims. Breast carcinoma is the commonest cancer in women.It is the leading cause of death in women, with more than one million cases occuring worldwide annually1 The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus is having the first reference to breast cancer. This surgical text, described in hieratic script, is the incomplete copy of an original record that dates back to the pyramid age of Egypt (3000-2500BC)2 Breast cancer is no longer seen as single disease but rather a multifaceted disease consisting of diverse biological subtypes with distinct natural history .Breast cancer presents as a varied spectrum of clinial, pathological and molecular features with diverse prognostic and therapeutic implications. Estrogen is the steroid hormone, responsible for development and maturation of primary and secondary sexual characteristics in females.3 Estrogen has an important role in pathogenesis and development of breast cancer.4 Estrogen receptor is an intracellular protein molecule. They are targets for estrogen action. Estrogen receptor normally resides in cellâ?™s nucleus, along with DNA molecules. Estrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphism leads to alteration in estrogen receptor function in breast cancer.5 This study is aimed to ascertain whether Pvull polymorphism in ER alpha gene has a role in the causation of breast cancer.