Characteristics of breast cancer

Characteristics of breast cancer

Julie Scott, DNP
Julie Scott, DNP
  • breast cancer, cancersucks, the pink cancer

Characteristics of breast cancer

When a biopsy is done, and cancer has been confirmed, there are additional things the oncologist needs to know about the cancer. 

Hormone receptor status: This determines if the cancer cells use either estrogen or progesterone (or both) to grow. If there are estrogen receptors on the cancer cells, it is called ER+, and for progesterone, PR+. If there aren’t any, then it is referred to as ER- and PR-. 

HER2 status: The HER2 protein can be used by some cancer cells to grow quickly. If there are high levels of HER2 on the cancer cells, it is called HER2+ breast cancer. If little or no HER2 receptors are seen, then it is HER2-. 

Breast cancer can be described as triple positive (ER+, HR+, HER2+), triple negative (ER-, PR-, HER2-), or can be a combination of positivity or negativity of any of them. 

Ductal vs lobular: This describes the area of the breast where the cancer cells originated, either the milk ducts or the lobules of the breast. 

Additionally, other characteristics such as how quickly the cancer cells are dividing, and how similar (or not) they look to normal cells, helps round out all of the information the oncologist needs to develop the correct treatment plan for each person with breast cancer. 

Are you interested in learning more about Breast Cancer local treatments? Check out our next article on this topic.

 

Julie Scott, DNP
Julie Scott, DNP
Julie is an oncology certified Oncology Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of medical oncology experience. In addition to her clinical work, she is an accomplished healthcare writer providing oncology content for various publications. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member for a Master's nursing program and a chair for Doctoral nursing students.

Download our
mobile app

Share this post
You may also like
Articles
What is a bone marrow transplant?
December 22, 2022

Why a Bone marrow transplant may be recommended for certain cancer patients? Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is cancer affecting blood cells. When the myeloid cells become abnormal, these cells then grow uncontrollably. White blood cells are often affected, but red blood cells and platelets can also be affected. As these…

Julie Scott, DNP

author

Articles
GIST(Gastrointestinal stromal tumor)- What You Need to Know
December 22, 2022

What is GIST? Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, also known as GIST, is a type of cancer that develops within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Most GIST cancers start in the stomach wall, but they can also start in the intestines, though this isn’t as common. Exactly why GISTs start to grow is…

Julie Scott, DNP

author

Articles
Why a second opinion after a cancer diagnosis matters
November 6, 2022

Cancer care is an ever-evolving field where new treatments are continuously developed. So, it is always worth getting a second opinion when a person is diagnosed with cancer. Furthermore, research evidence indicates that most early-stage cancer patients are satisfied with the opinion of their first oncologist. So, what is a…

Vino Cherian

administrator

cancerGO gives you access to a community

Where are people to listen, answer questions, share information, and offer valuable and timely advice

    We would love to hear your thoughts or questions

    Please fill and submit the form below and we will reach out to you shortly.

    Go back to the website
    Protected by reCAPTCHA
    Privacy Policy Terms of Service

    A specialist with this email already exists in cancerGO

    Your message was sent successfully!

    Thank you for recommending your support group!
    We will be reaching out to invite your group to participate in our network.

    © Haploscope 2022