A study of women with breast carcinoma is done to determine the presence and amount of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in the carcinoma cells. Large amounts of ER and PR are found in the carcinoma cells of some patients. These receptors are not present in the cells of other patients. The patients with positivity for ER and PR are likely to exhibit which of the following traits?
The estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (ER and PR) status help predict whether chemotherapy with antiestrogen compounds such as tamoxifen would be effective; however, the correlation is not perfect. ER and PR do not affect the immunogenicity and are not targets for immunotherapy. In contrast, immunotherapy targeted to the overexpressed HER2/neu gene is being used. The overall prognosis may be predicted from several factors, including histologic type, histologic grade, presence of metastases, degree of aneuploidy, and tumor stage. Family history and the presence of specific mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 correlate with the familial risk of breast cancer.
Greater immunogenicity
Greater likelihood of metastases
Greater risk of familial breast cancer
Higher response to therapy
Breast