Estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) were evaluated in samples from primary tumors in 539 patients with stage II breast cancer participating in a randomized multicenter controlled clinical trial on adjuvant therapy. At the cut-off points of 10 fmol ER/mg protein and 30 fmol PgR/mg protein, no significant difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS) existed between premenopausal patients with receptor-positive and negative tumors, respectively. After recurrence, premenopausal patients with receptor-positive tumors had a significant longer survival than patients with receptor-negative tumors. In postmenopausal patients not treated with adjuvant tamoxifen, no correlations between RFS and receptor status were found. Patients with ER+ tumors survived longer than patients with ER-tumors. In postmenopausal patients treated with adjuvant tamoxifen, highly significant differences in RFS and in survival were observed when receptor-positive patients were compared with receptor-negative patients. No differences in survival after recurrence were registered among these patients.