Breast Cancer Hormone Receptor Status: What You Need to Know

If you have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may feel overwhelmed by all the substantial information presented to you. However, knowing certain keywords and their meaning can allow you to understand better and communicate with your doctors. Having all the critical and necessary information will make you better informed on how to move forward. One important piece of information that you should know about is your breast cancer hormone receptor status.

Hormone receptors are proteins on cells. Normal and healthy breast cells have hormone receptors that help control the cell’s growth. Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in the bloodstream bind to these hormone receptors and help breast cells to grow and function. However, in some breast cancer cells, these hormone receptors are overexpressed, which contributes to the cancer cells’ abnormal and excessive growth.

A cancer’s hormone receptor status depends on the presence and types of hormone receptors on the cancer cells. Hormone receptor statuses are as follows:

• Estrogen receptor-positive only (ER+, PR-)

This type of cancer cell only has estrogen receptors.

• Progesterone receptor-positive only (ER-, PR+)

This type of cancer cell only has progesterone receptors.

• Both estrogen receptor-positive and progesterone receptor-positive (ER+, PR+)

This type of cancer cell has both estrogen and progesterone receptors.

• Hormone receptor-negative or estrogen receptor-negative and progesterone receptor-negative (ER-, PR-)

This type of cancer cell has neither estrogen nor progesterone receptors.

Cancer cells that have at least one type of hormone receptor are also classified as hormone receptor-positive.

If you are suspected to have breast cancer, a breast biopsy will normally be done to confirm the diagnosis. If there is a concern that you may have breast cancer, a breast biopsy is typically performed to provide a definitive diagnosis. This is understandably a stressful and overwhelming experience, but rest assured that your team of doctors will support you with the best advice. Cells of the biopsy sample will be tested for hormone receptors through a staining process that makes hormone receptors show up in the sample. This is known as an immunohistochemistry (IHC) test.

Learn more: Understanding Your Histopathology Report: Classification of Breast Cancer

A cancer’s hormone receptor status determines if a type of treatment method called hormone therapy (also known as endocrine therapy) can be used to treat the cancer. Hormone therapy uses specific drugs to keep cancer cells from growing and spreading by:

• Lowering estrogen and progesterone levels by blocking production.
• Stopping them from binding to hormone receptor-positive cancer cells.

It’s crucial to test for hormone receptors because it can significantly impact the success of your cancer treatment plan. By doing this, your treatment plan will be tailored to you with the most effective chance of success.

Hormone receptor-positive cancers

These cancer cells have either estrogen or progesterone receptors or both. As such, hormone therapy will most likely be effective as a treatment option.

Hormone receptor-negative cancers

These cancer cells do not have any hormone receptors. As such, they cannot be treated with hormone therapy drugs as they will highly likely be ineffective. Hormone receptor-negative cancers will have to be treated with other treatment methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.

Good communication with your doctor and healthcare team is essential to the whole treatment and recovery process. Although it may seem overwhelming initially, familiarizing yourself with key terms like hormone receptor status can lead to valuable discussions with your doctor, ultimately playing a vital role in tailoring your treatment and ensuring a successful recovery.