What Does It Mean If My Breast Cancer Is Hormone Receptor-Positive Or Negative?

Dr. Jordan answers the question: 'What do results of hormone receptor mean?'

By
V Craig Jordan, O.B.E., Ph.D., D.Sc., Vice President and Scientific Director for Medical Science, Fox Chase Cancer Center
May 8, 2008, 6:01 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: What does it mean if my breast cancer is hormone receptor-positive or negative?

Answer: If the breast cancer is hormone receptor-positive, this would mean that there has been the detection of the estrogen receptor, or the progesterone receptor, or both of these, inside that particular tumor. This means that there is a high probability that that tumor, and any of the cancer that has spread from the original tumor, will respond to anti-hormonal therapy -- therapies that stop estrogen working. If in fact the tumor is hormone receptor-negative, this means the anti-hormonal therapy will not work.

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