Biomedical
Single Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer—Signal or Noise?
Peer Reviewed
Abstract
Key Questions and Answers
1. What did Li and colleagues' study examine?
The study analyzed the relationship between estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status in breast cancer survival, using data from the SEER database.
2. What is the controversy surrounding the ER-negative/PR-positive subtype?
The ER-negative/PR-positive subtype is debated, as it is biologically unusual and might be an artifact due to misclassification, though survival differences suggest it could be a legitimate category.
3. How might this affect treatment decisions?
If ER-negative/PR-positive is a valid subtype, alternative therapies like antiprogesterone treatment might be considered, as tamoxifen may not be effective for these patients.
