What medications treat estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer?
For ER-positive breast cancer (regardless of PR status), hormone therapy is typically the first-line treatment. The main medications include:
Hormone Therapy Options
* Tamoxifen - blocks estrogen receptors on cancer cells
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What medications treat estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer?
For ER-positive breast cancer (regardless of PR status), hormone therapy is typically the first-line treatment. The main medications include:
Hormone Therapy Options:
* Tamoxifen - blocks estrogen receptors on cancer cells
* Aromatase inhibitors like anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara), or exemestane (Aromasin) - reduce estrogen production in the body
* Fulvestrant (Faslodex) - another hormone therapy option that can help stabilize disease longer than some other treatments
Additional Targeted Therapies:
If hormone therapy alone isn't enough, your doctor may add:
* CDK4/6 inhibitors like palbociclib (Ibrance), abemaciclib (Verzenio), or ribociclib (Kisqali) - these prevent cancer cells from dividing
* Capivasertib combined with fulvestrant (Truqap) - for cancers with certain mutations after other treatments
* Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy) - for cancer that has progressed despite other therapies
Your specific treatment plan will depend on whether your cancer is HER2-positive or HER2-negative, the stage of your cancer, and how your cancer responds to initial treatments. If you're postmenopausal, aromatase inhibitors are often preferred over tamoxifen.
December 15, 2025
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