Breast cancer cells can have hormone receptors, such as estrogen, progesterone, or HER2. Treatment depends on the presence or absence of these receptors. Estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer is usually treated with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. If the cancer has spread, chemotherapy can be used to control the disease.
Breast cancer cells sometimes have so-called receptors, which are tiny protein molecules. Hormones can bind to specific receptors and trigger actions within the cell. Some types of cancerous or malignant breast tumors have cell receptors to which the hormone estrogen binds, stimulating cell growth. In the case of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer or ER negative breast cancer, the cells do not have hormone receptors for estrogen. The presence or absence of estrogen receptors makes a difference in breast cancer treatment, because hormone therapies that block the receptors, slowing the growth of breast cells, can be used with estrogen receptor-positive tumors .
A number of different hormone receptors can be found on breast cancer cells. In addition to specific estrogen receptors, other receptors for the hormone progesterone or for a protein known as HER2 may be present. When the receptors are found, treatments can be given using drugs that target those receptors and work against the growth of the cancer. Some tumors show none of the receptors, in which case they are described as triple negative. Because estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer does not respond to the body’s progesterone or estrogen levels, it is usually not possible to treat it with hormone therapies.
To find out if breast cancer contains cells with receptors, a small sample of tissue, known as a biopsy, is usually taken and studied under a microscope. Several methods can be used to take a biopsy, but most commonly, after numbing the area, a needle is used to cut a core of tissue. In cases where the tumor is too small to feel, imaging techniques such as ultrasound may be used to guide the needle into place. If a tumor is found to be made up of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells, the treatment plan will also depend on the size of the tumor, how aggressive it is, and whether it has spread.
When estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer has not yet spread throughout the body, it is usually treated with surgery. This could involve removing all of the breast or just the area containing the tumor. Radiation therapy may be used after surgery to kill remaining cancer cells, and chemotherapy may also be given to prevent the cancer from recurring.
Sometimes, chemotherapy, which uses drugs to destroy cancer cells, is given before surgery so that the tumor shrinks in size. Even if a cancer is ER-negative, it may still have receptors for HER2, in which case it may be given a drug known as Herceptin®, which targets HER2 receptors. If estrogen receptor negative breast cancer has spread to other areas of the body, a cure is not possible, but treatments such as chemotherapy can be used to control the disease over a period of time, reducing symptoms and improving health. daily life.
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