Breast Cancer 2

Question 1

What is the purpose of predictive factors? What are the 3 predictive factors for breast cancer?

Answer 1

They are used to predict response to treatment

ER, PR, and HER2/neu gene amplification

Question 2

So, if we test the patient’s cancer cells and they express both ER and PR, what does that tell us?

Answer 2

Those cells would have a good response to anti estrogenic drugs like tamoxifen

Question 3

If the patient’s cancer cells stain for HER2 receptor, what does it mean and what can we do about it?

Answer 3

The HER2/neu gene codes for a growth receptor, HER2. So if a cancer cell has over expression of it we know why it is growing out of control.

We have antibodies for these cells like trastuzumab

Question 4

Keeping these predictive factors in mind, what type of tumor has a very poor prognosis? What race has a higher propensity to get triple negative?

Answer 4

Triple negative

African American women

Question 5

3 features suggesting hereditary breast cancer?

Answer 5

Multiple first degree relative with breast cancer
Fairly young when diagnosed
Multiple tumors

Question 6

What are the two most important gene mutations for breast cancer?

Answer 6

BRCA1: Breast and ovarian (serous)
BRCA2: breast cancer in males

Question 7

3 key features about male breast cancer?

Answer 7

BRCA 2 mutation
Invasive ductal carcinoma (because men only have ducts and no lobules)
Associated with Klinefelter syndrome