Diagnosing Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer with Expertise at Dignity Health

If you have hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, it means the tumor cells have a protein (or receptor) on them that attracts estrogen or progesterone or both. The hormones stick to the receptor, fueling the growth of breast cancer.

• Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive (ER+).
• More than half of breast cancers are both ER+ and progesterone receptor-positive (PR+).
• About two percent of breast cancers are PR+ alone.

The doctors at Dignity Health Cancer Institute of Greater Sacramento use the latest methods to provide an early diagnosis of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in the Sacramento region. Whether you had an abnormal mammogram or noticed symptoms, Find a Doctor to have the best chance at recovery. Through a multidisciplinary approach, our experienced oncologists, specialists and nurse navigators partner with you to find a treatment or combination or treatments to put a stop to your breast cancer.

Compared to hormone receptor-negative breast cancers, hormone receptor-positive breast cancers tend to grow slowly. They are more common in postmenopausal women.

Our doctors diagnose hormone receptor-positive breast cancer from your biopsy tissue sample. The sample also tells them about the type and grade of breast cancer and HER2 protein status. This information helps guide treatment decisions. Sometimes, this information is not available until after doctors remove the tumor during surgery.

Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Symptoms

There are no symptoms specific for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Many breast cancers show up on a screening mammogram before symptoms develop. When symptoms are present, the most common one is a lump.

Other signs and symptoms include:

• Skin changes on the breast or nipple
• Swelling of part or all of the breast
• Change in size, shape, or appearance of the breast or nipple
• Inverted nipple or nipple discharge that isn’t breast milk

Trusted Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment in the Sacramento Region

At Dignity Health, our team has weekly Breast Conference meetings to allow our doctors and staff to review each patient’s case and talk through treatment recommendations. This ensure that you receive the highest level of personalized care.

Surgery is the main treatment for most cases of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The stage of breast cancer will determine the type of surgery you need. A mastectomy removes the entire breast while a lumpectomy removes the tumor and some normal tissue surrounding it. Radiation therapy is usually necessary after lumpectomy.

Other treatments options include:

• Hormone therapy to block the receptors on the cancer cells or lower the levels of hormones in the body
• Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing
• Targeted therapy to identify certain proteins (called markers) on the cancer cells t and destroy those specific cells

The most effective prevention for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, or any type of breast cancer, is having an annual screening mammogram. Schedule yours today with one of our professionals.