Understanding Hormone Receptors and HER2 Receptor

Abstract

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a varied clinical outcome, underscoring the need for the use of reliable predictive and prognostic biomarkers. Prognostic markers help in estimating clinical outcome while predictive markers are required for optimal therapeutic decision making. Testing for steroid hormone receptors and HER2 oncogene have been, for many years, the mainstay of breast cancer management, both for prognostication and in predicting response to hormonal therapy, anti-HER2 therapy, and chemotherapy. Ki67, a key proliferative marker, has in recent times, evoked much interest due to its moderate prognostic value and its role in neoadjuvant therapy. Recent molecular advances have also identified several other single gene products as well as, more critically, multigene signatures for breast cancer which can provide further prognostic and predictive information, to help fine-tune treatment strategies.