Are You Eligible for Newer Treatments for Metastatic Breast Cancer?

When you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will tell you your stage and your subtype. Stages range from I to IV, which rates how much the cancer is affecting the body. The higher the stage, the larger the tumor and/or the more likely that the cancer has spread to lymph nodes or other organs.

Then there is breast cancer receptor status. This refers to tiny receptors on the surface of the cancer cell that help fuel the cancer growth. Breast cancer can have estrogen or progesterone receptors (hormone receptor-positive breast cancer), receptors for the growth-promoting protein HER2/neu (HER2-positive breast cancer), or they may contain neither of these three receptors (triple-negative breast cancer).

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Written by:

Lauren Smith, MA

Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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