Estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) is a well-established prognostic marker in breast cancer. The role of estrogen receptor beta (ER beta) in breast cancers is still under investigation. We aimed to investigate the clinicopathological significance and immunohistochemical expression patterns of ER alpha, total ER beta (ER beta) and its spliced variant ER beta cx in normal breast, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).