We examined immunohistochemically 50 gastric carcinomas from European patients for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and hormone-receptor-related proteins pS2 and ERD5. Unlike gastric carcinomas from non-Europeans reported previously, the carcinomas of the present series were all negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors. One-half of them, however, expressed pS2, and three-fourths were positive for ERD5. pS2 expression was significantly more frequent in carcinomas of the diffuse type than in those of the intestinal type and in advanced carcinomas compared with early ones. Our results indicate that pS2 and ERD5 are estrogen independent in the stomach. The possibility that estrogen and progesterone receptor status could be different in gastric carcinomas from Occidental and non-Occidental patients is discussed.