Breast cancer: classification and treatments
Breast tumors can be classified on the basis of 3 cellular receptors: the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PR) and the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2 / neu receptor) .
Based on the receptors, invasive carcinomas are defined HR positive (by hormone receptors) if they have many receptors for female hormones - and can be estrogen-positive and progesterone-positive; they are instead called HER2 positive (from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) if they have many type 2 receptors of human epidermal growth factor. Carcinomas that do not have any of the three receptors represent the fourth subtype, commonly defined as "triple negative": some of these tumors are less aggressive than the previous three subtypes, while others are particularly so and often give relapses.
When it is in its initial stage, breast cancer is localized within the mammary gland, later, if not identified and properly treated, it can spread to the underlying tissues or axillary lymph nodes and then to other parts of the body.
See also
Breast cancer: how it is treated
Treatments currently available for breast cancer include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone and biological therapies. The choice of treatment option depends on the patient's condition and the stage at which the tumor is diagnosed.
• Surgery (quadrantectomy or mastectomy): it is the main therapeutic option for patients whose cancer has not yet spread to other parts of the body and integrates with radiotherapy in cases of conservative interventions or pre and post surgical chemotherapy in cases at high risk of relapse.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is often used in the residual mammary gland after surgery to reduce the possibility of the tumor re-forming locally.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy can be given before surgery with the aim of reducing the size of the tumor, so as not to make the surgery very extensive, or it can be given after surgery to reduce the likelihood that the tumor repeat offenders locally or remotely.
• Hormone therapy: treatments that block the action of estrogen and progestin hormones or inhibit their production by the body are used in the treatment of patients with breast cancer that express the receptors for these hormones.
• Biological therapy: biological therapies (also called targeted therapies) are aimed at “specific targets” that control tumor growth and spread, modulating specific molecular and cellular processes that participate in the development and progression of the disease. Biological therapy can include monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and genetic therapies. They are given as monotherapy or in combination with other treatments at various stages of the disease.
