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What counts as ER/PR-positive?

Page last modified on: October 3, 2008
Question from Myra: What percentage of cells must be positive for you to consider the breast cancer to be hormone-receptor-positive? My breast cancer was only 7% ER-positive, but was 61% PR-positive, so I am taking tamoxifen.
Answer —Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.: Most people and most laboratories use a cutoff of 5-10% expression for positivity. As was mentioned earlier, expression of either progesterone or estrogen receptors is considered hormone-receptor-positive.

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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