The survival of 213 postmenopausal patients with primary endometrial cancer was analyzed as a function of clinicopathologic features and cytosol steroid receptor levels. Estrogen receptor (ER) levels (P = 0.008) and progestin receptor (PR) levels (P = 0.0001) were negatively correlated with grade. ER and PR levels were positively correlated with each other (P = 0.0001), but neither was correlated with age. In 187 patients with stages 1 and II, ER positivity (⩾ 20 fmole/mg cytosol protein (cp)) was statistically associated with grade (P = 0.007); and PR (⩾7 fmole/mg cp) was statistically associated with grade (P = 0.001). Univariant analysis revealed that survival for the early endometrial cancer patients was significantly dependent upon ER status (P = 0.0003), PR status (P = 0.0016), and grade (P = 0.0002). Multivariant analysis of ER status, PR status, age. and grade showed that the ER status was a significant prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.0168), even if the positivity of the PR status was defined at ⩾50 fmole/mg cp. If ER status was divided at 0–19, 20–100, and >100 fmole/mg cp, survival was significantly different between the low range group and the other two groups. If PR status was divided at 0–6, 7–50, and >50 fmole/mg cp survival was significantly different between the first two groups and the high range group. Thus, survival in these endometrial cancer patients was better predicted by ER status than grade.