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Did ER/PR-negative cancers lose receptors?

Page last modified on: October 3, 2008
Question from Jess: Do you feel that ER/PR-negative tumors started out with receptors and somehow lost them? If so, wouldn't that mean that estrogen played a role in the development of the cancer?
Answer —Kathy Miller, M.D.: This is an excellent question. We used to think that ER-negative tumors were just ER-positive tumors that somehow lost the estrogen receptor. That is definitely not true. With newer techniques that allow us to look at the expression of thousands of genes in breast cancer, it is very clear that ER-positive breast cancers are different in many ways from ER-negative tumors.

We now think of ER-positive and ER-negative cancers as two different diseases that need different treatments. ER-positive tumors derive the greatest benefit from anti-estrogen therapies, while ER-negative tumors derive greatest benefit from chemotherapy.

On Wednesday, November 19, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Hormone-Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer. Kathy D. Miller, M.D., Marisa Weiss, M.D., and moderator Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. answered your questions about a wide range of issues related to hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Kathy D. Miller, M.D.Kathy D. Miller, M.D. is associate professor of medical oncology at Indiana University, and a Sheila D. Ward Scholar.

Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.

Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. is a breast cancer oncologist at Paoli Hematology-Oncology Associates in Paoli, Pa., with a special interest in physicians' communication skills.

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