Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer
Breasts contain cells which respond to natural hormones, notably estrogens and progesterone. These cells contain hormone receptors to which these hormones can bind. Some breast cancer cells contain similar receptors, which means that they respond to and grow more quickly in the presence of hormones. There are two main types of breast cancer: estrogen-receptor-positive (the cancer cells contain estrogen), and estrogen-receptor-negative (no estrogen in the cancer cells). About 60% of breast cancers in pre-
Types of Hormone Therapies for Breast Cancer
When a woman (or, on occasion, a man) is diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the things her doctor needs to determine before deciding on a course of treatment is the cancer's hormone receptor status. A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out signals that affect cells in other parts of the body. Hormone receptors are cell proteins that pick up the hormone signals. Hormone receptors for the female hormones estrogen and progesterone can signal the cancer cells to grow even faster.
New Study: ‘Breast Cancer’ Could be an Umbrella Term
According to new research published by the University of British Columbia, breast cancer may not be exactly what we thought it was. Researchers say that breast tumors, previously classified as breast cancer, may be one of ten different tumor types, which are simply located in the breast. The scientists studied different tumors at the molecular level, and discovered that although tumor may look similar on the surface, they are often quite different.
