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Precision Molecular Pathology of Breast Cancer pp 107–118Cite as

Molecular Pathology of Hormone Regulation in Breast Cancer: Hormone Receptor Evaluation and Therapeutic Implications

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Part of the book series: Molecular Pathology Library ((MPLB,volume 10))

Abstract

A large proportion of breast cancer (70–90 %) expresses hormone receptor at variable levels. Hormone receptor does not only provide a prognostic value in breast cancer but also strong predictive information on the response to endocrine therapy and it should be assessed in all breast cancers including primary and recurrent. Endocrine therapy is offered to all patients with ER positive breast cancer. Guideline recommendations aiming at further improvement of the analytical validity and clinical utility of hormone receptor testing in breast cancer and administration of endocrine therapy have been published. Adoption of these guidelines and implementation of various quality assurance methods should be encouraged to ensure high level of accuracy, precision and reproducibility of hormone receptor assays performance. This chapter provides an overview on the molecular pathology of hormone regulation in breast cancer with emphasise on the evaluation of hormone receptor in routine practice and its therapeutic implications.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histopathology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham City Hospital, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK

    Emad A. Rakha

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  1. Emad A. Rakha
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Correspondence to Emad A. Rakha .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, UMassMemorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Ashraf Khan

  2. Department of Histopathology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Ian O. Ellis

  3. Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, St. James University Hospital, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

    Andrew M. Hanby

  4. Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, UMassMemorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Ediz F. Cosar

  5. Department of Histopathology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Emad A. Rakha

  6. Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, UMassMemorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Dina Kandil

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Rakha, E.A. (2015). Molecular Pathology of Hormone Regulation in Breast Cancer: Hormone Receptor Evaluation and Therapeutic Implications. In: Khan, A., Ellis, I., Hanby, A., Cosar, E., Rakha, E., Kandil, D. (eds) Precision Molecular Pathology of Breast Cancer. Molecular Pathology Library, vol 10. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2886-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2886-6_8

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2885-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2886-6

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