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The Voice of People With Breast Cancer
Information
Breast Cancer Basics
Subtypes of Breast Cancer
Your subtype is an important characteristic of your breast cancer. It can help your healthcare team understand what is driving the growth of your cancer, how aggressive your cancer is and what kind of treatments they may recommend. Your cancer can have more than one sub-type. Sub-types can also change when cancer recurs (comes back following a period where it could not be detected) or spreads. This happens in up to 20 to 30% of cases.
The three subtypes associated with breast cancer are:
- Hormone Receptor-Positive (HR+): Accounting for approximately 70-80% of breast cancers, HR+ is characterized by the presence of the hormone receptors estrogen or progesterone.
- Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive (HER2+): HER2+ is identified by the overexpression of the HER2 protein. This subtype accounts for about 20% of breast cancers.
- Triple Negative (TNBC): TNBC lacks the presence of hormone receptors (ER and PR) and does not overexpress the HER2 protein. It represents approximately 10-15% of breast cancers.
The following pages in this section will help you understand more about these subtypes and provide you with some helpful resources related to your subtype.
References
Breast cancer subtype discordance: impact on post-recurrence survival and potential treatment options from BMC Cancer
Cancer Stat Facts: Female Breast Cancer Subtypes from the National Cancer Institute
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About CBCN
CBCN strives to voice the views and concerns of breast cancer patients through education, advocacy activities, and the promotion of information sharing.
Canadian Breast Cancer Network
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