My Breakthrough
Receptor test
To find out whether a patient will benefit from hormone therapy, tests measure whether or not the breast cancer cells are capable of using the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone to grow. This is known as a receptor test.
Oestrogen binds to oestrogen receptors within cells. When a breast cancer cell contains many oestrogen receptors, oestrogen can help the cancer cells to grow. These cancers are said to be ‘hormone sensitive’. Hormone treatment interrupts this process, preventing growth of the tumour.
Similarly, progesterone receptors bind with another female hormone, progesterone.
It is important that your breast cancer cells are tested for oestrogen and progesterone receptors, to find out if you would benefit from hormone treatment. All people should now have the receptor status of their breast cancer tested as routine in order to determine future treatment options.
Breast cancer cells are then classed as oestrogen receptor (ER) positive or negative and progesterone receptor (PR) positive or negative.
Over two thirds of women diagnosed with breast cancer have hormone receptor positive cancer. Most of these are ER and PR positive or ER positive; only a small number are PR positive only.
If both receptor tests are negative (i.e. you have a low number of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in your breast cancer cells), you won't benefit from hormone treatment.
Similarly, progesterone receptors bind with another female hormone, progesterone.
It is important that your breast cancer cells are tested for oestrogen and progesterone receptors, to find out if you would benefit from hormone treatment. All people should now have the receptor status of their breast cancer tested as routine in order to determine future treatment options.
Breast cancer cells are then classed as oestrogen receptor (ER) positive or negative and progesterone receptor (PR) positive or negative.
Over two thirds of women diagnosed with breast cancer have hormone receptor positive cancer. Most of these are ER and PR positive or ER positive; only a small number are PR positive only.
If both receptor tests are negative (i.e. you have a low number of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in your breast cancer cells), you won't benefit from hormone treatment.
