Breast cancers can be categorized in a number of ways, one of which being receptor status. This refers to certain proteins on the surface of cells that “receive” things (such as hormones) to fuel the growth of the cancer.
“Think of [receptors] as little baseball mitts that sit on the surface of the cell,” says Amy Tiersten, MD, hematologist and oncologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. There are three types of receptors that could potentially be on a breast cancer cell: estrogen, progesterone, and HER2/neu.
Amy Tiersten, MD, is a Professor of Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She sees patients at the Dubin Breast Center.
References
American Cancer Society. (2022). Breast cancer HER2 status.
American Cancer Society. (2021). Breast cancer hormone receptor status.
Susan G. Komen. (2024). CDK4/6 inhibitors for treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Why trust our experts?
