Early breast cancer: a guide for women - Cancer Australia

Frequently asked questionsWhat does it mean if my breast cancer is hormone receptor-positive?When breast cancer cells have hormone receptors on them, it means thegrowth of the cancer cells is affected by female hormones. Breast cancercells with hormone receptors on them are said to be ‘hormone receptorpositive’.About two-thirds of women with breast cancer have hormonereceptor-positive breast cancer. If your breast cancer is hormone receptorpositive,your doctor may recommend that you have treatment with ahormonal therapy. If your breast cancer is hormone receptor-negative,there are other treatments that are suitable for you.For more information about hormonal therapies, see the‘Hormonal therapies’ chapter in the ‘Treatment’ section.What does it mean if my breast cancer is HER2-positive?‘HER2-positive’ means that the breast cancer cells have higher thannormal levels of a protein called HER2. The HER2 protein affects howquickly cells divide in response to certain growth factors. Trastuzumab(Herceptin®) is a biological therapy that works by stopping HER2-positivecancer cells from growing and dividing. About one in five patients haveHER2-positive breast cancer. If your breast cancer is HER2-positive, yourdoctor may recommend that you have treatment with a targeted therapy.For more information about Targeted therapies, see the ‘Targetedtherapies’ chapter in the ‘Treatment’ section.8