Breast Cancer subTypes

The 3 most common subtypes of breast cancer are:

• ER PR positive

• HER2 positive

• and Triple negative

First, the most common subtype is ER PR Positive, which can also be called Hormone Receptor Positive.

~ 70% of breast cancers are ER PR positive and that’s what I had.

ER PR feeds on estrogen and/or progesterone which are hormones.

Hormone therapy is a common treatment that blocks the food to the tumor - hence starving it so it can’t grow.

It’s kind of like kinking a hose to stop the flow of water. That’s why I take Arimidex every day without fail to stop the flow of food to any rogue cancer cells. It’s not uncommon for ER PR positive breast cancer patients to also be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy.

Next is the subtype HER2 Positive. The pathologist will test for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 or HER2. Normally, HER2 proteins help a healthy breast cell grow but in about 10% to 20% of breast cancers, the HER2 gene doesn't work correctly and makes too many copies of itself. One of the most popular drugs used for HER2 breast cancer is Herceptin which blocks the ability of the cancer cells to grow.

HER2 breast cancers can also be treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

Last is the subtype Triple Negative.

~10% of breast cancers are Triple Negative.

Triple negative means that it is not ER PR positive and it is not HER2 positive. Therefore the drugs used for ER PR and HER2 do not work on triple negative breast cancer, so chemotherapy tends to be the main option. Chemotherapy might be given before or after surgery by itself or with Keytruda to shrink a large tumor. Triple negative breast cancers can also be treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

In summary, there are 3 common subtypes of breast cancer. All 3 feed on different things and there are multiple drugs and treatments to deal with your specific cancer. It’s also the reason you don’t want to compare your treatment to another patient’s treatment. The key is taking action and following the directions of your medical team.

Watch our video on breast cancer subtypes on YouTube https://youtu.be/scVpESQvptM

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