Researchers are studying how molecular subtypes of breast cancer may be useful in planning treatment and developing new therapies.
The complex profile of each subtype is determined using molecular and genetic information from tumor cells.
Most studies divide breast cancer into four major molecular subtypes:
These subtypes also appear in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) [38-39].
There are other less common molecular subtypes, including claudin-low and molecular apocrine types.
At this time, molecular subtypes are used mostly in research settings.
The molecular subtype of your tumor is not part of your pathology report and is not used to guide your treatment.
Prognosis and treatment decisions are guided mainly by tumor stage, tumor grade, hormone receptor status and HER2 status.
Luminal tumor cells look the most like cells of breast cancers that start in the inner (luminal) cells lining the mammary ducts.
Luminal A tumors tend to be:
About 30-70 percent of breast cancers are luminal A tumors [40-44].
Of the four subtypes, luminal A tumors tend to have the best prognosis, with fairly high survival rates and fairly low recurrence rates [41-43,46-47].
Because luminal A tumors tend to be ER-positive, treatment for these tumors often includes hormone therapy.
Luminal tumor cells that look like those of breast cancers that start in the inner (luminal) cells lining the mammary ducts.
Luminal B tumors tend to be ER-positive. They may be HER2-negative or HER2-positive.
Women with luminal B tumors are often diagnosed at a younger age than those with luminal A tumors [47-48].
Compared to luminal A tumors, they also tend to have factors that lead to a poorer prognosis including [41-43,45,47-49]:
About 10-20 percent of breast cancers are luminal B tumors [40-44].
Women with luminal B tumors tend to have fairly high survival rates, although not as high as those with luminal A tumors [42,47].
Triple negative breast cancers are:
There are several subsets of triple negative breast cancer.
One subset is basal-like. Basal-like tumors have cells that look similar to those of the outer (basal) cells surrounding the mammary ducts.
Most triple negative tumors are basal-like and most basal-like tumors are triple negative.
However, not all triple negative tumors are basal-like and not all basal-like tumors are triple negative (see figure below).
About 15-20 percent of breast cancers are triple negative/basal-like [40-44,50].
These tumors tend to occur more often in younger women and African-American women (more on race/ethnicity and subtypes of breast cancer) [43,48,50-51]. They may also be more common among Hispanic women compared to white women [44,51].
Most BRCA1-related breast cancers are both triple negative and basal-like [43,52-54].
Learn more about BRCA1 gene mutations.
Triple negative/basal-like tumors are often aggressive and have a poorer prognosis compared to the ER-positive subtypes (luminal A and luminal B tumors) [41,43,55].
However, they can be treated successfully.
Learn more about triple negative breast cancer, including prognosis and treatment.
Learn more about clinical trials for people with triple negative/basal-like breast cancers.
Learn More | Current Article
The molecular subtype HER2 type is not the same as HER2-positive and is not used to guide treatment.
Although most HER2 type tumors are HER2-positive (and named for this reason), about 30 percent are HER2-negative .
HER2 type tumors tend to be [41-43,45,47]:
About 5-15 percent of breast cancers are HER2 type [41,43].
Women with HER2 type tumors may be diagnosed at a younger age than those with luminal A and luminal B tumors .
HER2 type breast cancers that are HER2-positive can be treated with anti-HER2 drugs such as trastuzumab (Herceptin). Before these drugs were available, HER2 type tumors had a fairly poor prognosis [41,57].
Prevalence rates of some subtypes of breast cancer differ by race.
In studies of U.S. and British women, triple negative/basal-like tumors appear to be more common among black women (especially before menopause) compared to white women [43,48,50-51].
Triple negative/basal-like tumors may also be more common among Hispanic women compared to white women [44,51].
Although the reasons for these differences are not clear, lifestyle factors may play a role.
Prevalence rates of luminal B and HER2 type tumors do not appear to differ by race .
Higher rates of triple negative/basal-like tumors may explain, to some degree, the poor prognosis of breast cancers diagnosed in younger black women .
Also, luminal A tumors, which have the best prognosis of the subtypes, occur less often in premenopausal African-American women compared to postmenopausal African-American women and compared to white women of either menopausal status .
*Please note, the information provided within Komen Perspectives articles is only current as of the date of posting. Therefore, some information may be out of date at this time.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Research Fast Facts: HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
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