Women Health and Gynecology

Breast Cancer Pathology and Treatments

One important aspect of the role of Pathology in the evaluation of breast cancer is biomarker testing, specifically the accurate assessment of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Her2 status of a patient's breast cancer. Biomarkers can be prognostic, predictive, or both. Prognostic biomarkers are independent measures of prognosis such that the presence or absence of the biomarker is associated with a patient's overall clinical outcome (i.e., risk of recurrence and mortality). Predictive biomarkers, in contrast, predict whether or not a patient will respond to a given therapy. In cancer care, doctors specializing in different areas of cancer treatment—such as surgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology. Cancer care teams also include a variety of other health care professionals, including physician assistants, oncology nurses, social workers, pharmacists, counsellors, nutritionists, and others. The biology and behaviour of a breast cancer affects the treatment plan. Some tumours are small but grow fast, while others are large and grow slowly.

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