How is it used?
Hormone receptor status is used as a prognostic marker. Those with ER-positive and PR-positive tumors tend to have a better prognosis than those with ER-negative or PR-negative tumors.
The hormone receptor status test is also used to help determine treatment options, including endocrine therapy (anti-hormone treatments, such as tamoxifen), when a primary tumor has been removed or to help guide treatment decisions when a tumor recurs.
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When is it ordered?
Hormone receptor status testing is recommended as part of an initial workup of invasive
breast cancer. It is not diagnostic but helps the doctor to determine treatment options and to understand more about the tumor’s characteristics.
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What does the test result mean?
In general, if a patient’s cancer is ER-positive and PR-positive, the patient will have a better-than-average prognosis, and their cancer is likely to respond to endocrine therapy (anti-hormone treatments). The more receptors present and the more intense their reaction, the more likely the response. However, an individual’s response depends on a variety of factors.
If a patient’s cancer is ER-negative but PR-positive, the patient may still benefit from endocrine therapy but may have a diminished response.
If the cancer is both ER-negative and PR-negative, then the patient will probably not benefit from endocrine therapy.
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Is there anything else I should know?
Her-2/neu testing may be done at the same time as hormone receptor status testing. A patient with a positive estrogen and/or progesterone receptor status may find their response to endocrine therapy diminished if they are also Her-2/
neu-positive.
Hormone receptor status testing is not available in every laboratory. It requires experience and special training to perform and interpret. Your doctor will probably send your sample to a
reference laboratory and it may take several weeks before your results are available.
It takes a small amount of cancer tissue to perform the hormone receptor status testing. If a sufficient sample is not available, your doctor may make an assumption that your cancer is ER-positive and PR-positive in order to broaden your treatment options.
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