Yet on a deeper level, different types of breast cancer can behave very differently from one another.
These details will help determine your best treatment options and overall prognosis.
When breast cancer is diagnosed as HER2-negative, the aforementioned targeted therapies are not an effective treatment option.
Getty
HER2 status isnt always clear-cut, however.
Sometimes, biopsies reveal that breast cancer is borderline HER2 positive (an IHC test score of 2+).
To summarize, being HER2-positive can mean more treatment options, even though your cancer is aggressive.
Yet just because your breast cancer is HER2 negative doesnt mean radiation and chemotherapy are the only options.
Hormone receptor status is another important factor that can help open up additional treatment options.
Both HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer can be hormone receptor-positive (or negative).
The term triple positive breast cancer means that you are HER2-positive, ER-positive, and PR-positive.
(Heres more onwhat to expect after a HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.)
More on breast cancer:
