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IHC Markers in Breast Cancer: What They Are and When Is It Done
By Prashant Baghel
Breast cancer is a very common type of cancer that affects millions of women and even some men around the world. It is not easy to figure out if someone has breast cancer. Doctors use a variety of tests to learn more about the cancer, its stage, and the best ways to treat it.
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers are one of the most important tests in this process. What are these markers, and why are they so important for diagnosing breast cancer? This article will talk about IHC markers, how they are used to diagnose breast cancer, and when this test is usually done.
What do IHC markers mean?
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a way to find certain proteins in tissue samples in the lab. In the case of breast cancer, IHC markers are proteins that are present on or in the cancer cells. They help doctors figure out how the cancer behaves. These proteins are very important for deciding how to treat a patient. Doctors can tell what kind of cancer it is, how aggressive it might be, and what the best course of action is by looking for certain IHC markers.
Why IHC Markers Are Important for Breast Cancer
The primary objective of employing IHC markers in breast cancer is to enhance physicians' understanding of the cancer's biology. There are different types of breast cancer. Some might take a long time to grow, while others might spread quickly to other parts of the body. Doctors can make treatments more effective by tailoring them to the specific type of cancer. In this way, IHC markers are very important for personalised medicine.
When a doctor finds out that a patient has breast cancer, they usually do IHC testing to see if certain proteins are on the cancer cells. These proteins help put the cancer into groups, like hormone receptor-positive or HER2-positive breast cancer. Each group has its own set of treatment options.
Common IHC Markers for Breast Cancer
Several important IHC markers are often used to find and treat breast cancer:
Oestrogen Receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PR): These proteins are on the outside of some breast cancer cells. If breast cancer cells have oestrogen receptors (ER+), it means that the hormone oestrogen is likely to make the cancer grow. In the same way, cancers that are progesterone receptor-positive (PR+) can grow when they are exposed to progesterone. This information helps doctors figure out which hormone therapy treatments will work best to stop these hormones and slow the cancer's growth.
HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2): Some breast cancer cells have too much of this protein. Breast cancers that are HER2-positive tend to grow and spread more quickly than those that are HER2-negative. But targeted treatments like Herceptin have been made to specifically target and stop the HER2 protein. This gives patients with HER2-positive breast cancer new hope.
Ki-67: This marker tells you how fast cancer cells are dividing and growing, which is the rate of cell proliferation. A high Ki-67 level may mean that the cancer is more aggressive, while a low level may mean that it is growing more slowly. People often use this marker with other IHC markers to figure out how aggressive the tumour is overall.
p53: This is a protein that stops tumours from growing by controlling the cell cycle and helping to fix broken DNA. When this protein is missing or changed, it can cause cells to grow out of control. Abnormal p53 can mean that the breast cancer is more aggressive.
GATA3: This marker is very helpful for figuring out what type of breast cancer someone has, especially if the cancer started in the breast or somewhere else in the body. GATA3 is usually present in most cases of breast cancer, and its presence can help doctors tell the difference between different types of cancer.
When is IHC testing done for breast cancer?
After a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, IHC testing is usually done. Pathologists use IHC techniques to look at the proteins on cancer cells in the biopsy tissue samples that are sent to the lab during the diagnostic process. The results of these tests give doctors important information that helps them decide on the best course of treatment.
There are a few important times when IHC testing is very important:
First Diagnosis: IHC testing helps figure out what kind of breast cancer a patient has when they are first diagnosed. It's important to know if the cancer is hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, or has other unique markers in order to choose the best treatment. Hormone receptor-positive cancers may respond favourably to hormone therapies such as tamoxifen, whereas HER2-positive cancers may necessitate targeted therapies like Herceptin.
Treatment Planning: After finding out what kind of breast cancer it is and what its characteristics are, IHC markers help doctors figure out how aggressive the cancer is likely to be. If the cancer is oestrogen receptor-negative (ER-) and HER2-negative, for instance, it may not respond well to some hormone therapies and targeted treatments. In this case, chemotherapy or other treatments may be needed.
Prognosis and Predicting Recurrence: The IHC markers not only help with the first treatment plan, but they also give an idea of how likely it is that the disease will come back. For instance, cancers that test positive for HER2 or have high levels of Ki-67 may be more likely to come back. Doctors can customise post-surgery treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy to stop the cancer from coming back if they know this.
Checking how well the treatment is working: IHC testing can be used to check how well the cancer is responding to the treatments that have been given. If the tumour gets smaller and the IHC markers go back to normal, it could mean that the treatment is working. On the other hand, if the IHC profile changes, it could mean that the cancer is getting worse and that a different treatment may be needed.
How do you do IHC testing?
IHC testing is easy to do, but it needs careful and thorough work in the lab. After a biopsy or surgery to take out breast tissue, the sample is processed and stained with certain antibodies that stick to the IHC markers that are being looked for. The marker will react with the antibody and show up as a coloured spot under the microscope if it is there. Then, the pathologist looks at the sample to see how strong the staining is and writes a report based on what they find.
It may take a few days to finish this process, but the information gained is very important for helping doctors understand the cancer's characteristics as well as possible.
Consult Today
Getting the best care possible is very important when it comes to treating breast cancer. Oncare Cancer Hospital is one of the best places to go for personalised, complete treatment for breast cancer. Oncare Cancer Hospital's highly trained medical staff can create a treatment plan just for you based on the unique characteristics of your cancer. They use advanced diagnostic tools like IHC testing.
Oncare Cancer Hospital offers the best possible care for breast cancer, whether you're just starting to show signs of the disease or have been diagnosed with a more advanced stage. If you need help with your breast cancer journey, you can trust the doctors and nurses at Oncare Cancer Hospital to give you the best care and treatment in the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your breast cancer is oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+), it means that the cancer cells have receptors that can bind to oestrogen, which is a hormone that can help the cancer grow. Hormone therapy can often help treat ER-positive breast cancers by blocking oestrogen and slowing the growth of the cancer.
When breast cancer cells have too much HER2 protein, it can make the cancer grow faster and more aggressively. If your cancer tests positive for HER2 (HER2+), you might benefit from treatments that specifically block the HER2 protein, like Herceptin.
Ki-67 is a marker that tells you how fast cancer cells are dividing. A high Ki-67 level usually means that the cancer is growing quickly, which can help doctors figure out how aggressive the cancer is and how to treat it.
It usually takes a few days to do IHC testing. After a biopsy, the tissue sample is processed, stained, and looked at under a microscope. The results are usually ready in one to two weeks.
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