What is a hormone receptor status?
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Johns Hopkins Medicine answered:A hormone receptor status is one prognostic factor of breast cancer. There are two types of hormone receptors, estrogen and progesterone. Having a positive hormone receptor status means that hormones can stimulate your breast cancer cells to grow and thrive. This is a good sign, because it indicates that your cancer will respond to hormonal therapies. Tumors are tested for a response to both of these two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. When a tumor responds to either just estrogen, or both estrogen and progesterone, your doctor will likely recommend hormonal therapy.
A hormone receptor status is one prognostic factor of breast cancer. There are two types of hormone receptors, estrogen and progesterone. Having a positive hormone receptor status means that hormones can stimulate your breast cancer cells to grow... More -
Dr. Dede Bonner answered:During the diagnostic process, tests were done to determine if your cancer cells have estrogen or progesterone receptors. You should have received this information from your pathology report.
The clearest indication of your candidacy for hormone therapy is your hormone receptor status. If your tumor is not hormone sensitive, a hormone therapy is generally useless and potentially harmful. Hormonal therapies are only effective in women whose cancer cells have receptors (are sensitive) for estrogen and/or progesterone on their surface. This is known as being estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) or progesterone-receptor positive (PR+). Reviewing your hormone receptor status with your doctor is a key element in your discussion about hormone therapy.
According to Clifford Hudis, M.D., chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, “Starting hormone therapy in the first year after breast cancer diagnosis and initial treatment is important.”
Find out more about this book: The 10 Best Questions for Surviving Breast Cancer: The Script You Need to T...
During the diagnostic process, tests were done to determine if your cancer cells have estrogen or progesterone receptors. You should have received this information from your pathology report. The clearest indication of your candidacy for hormone... More
