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Hormone receptor-positive (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer

If your report says hormone receptor-positive, you have the most common kind of breast cancer, and one with many treatment options. Here's what it means for you and the people who love you.

ℹ️ General information to help you and your loved ones talk with your care team, not medical advice. Read our disclaimer.

The quick guide

What it means: The cancer cells have receptors for estrogen (ER) and/or progesterone (PR), so hormones help them grow. HER2 is not high.

How it's found: A lab stain (IHC) on your biopsy tissue checks ER, PR and HER2. Your pathology report lists the results.

How common it is: About 2 out of 3 breast cancers are HR+/HER2-, making it the most common subtype.

How treatment works

🌱 Early-stage

  • Surgery, sometimes radiation, then hormone therapy pills for 5 to 10 years: tamoxifen, or an aromatase inhibitor after menopause (sometimes with medicine to pause the ovaries before menopause).
  • For some higher-risk early cancers, a CDK4/6 inhibitor (Verzenio or ribociclib) is added to hormone therapy.
  • Genomic tests such as Oncotype DX can help show who benefits from chemo and who can safely skip it.
  • If you have an inherited BRCA change and high-risk early cancer, a year of the PARP inhibitor Lynparza may be offered.

🔁 Advanced or metastatic

  • Hormone therapy plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor (such as Ibrance, Verzenio or ribociclib) is a common first treatment.
  • Later options depend on biomarkers: PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN drugs, ESR1-targeted hormone pills, PARP inhibitors for BRCA, and ADCs such as Enhertu (for HER2-low or ultralow) or Trodelvy and Datroway.
  • Chemo is used when other options stop working or the cancer needs a fast response.

Approvals depend on stage and prior treatment. Your care team will decide what fits you.

Drug guides

Biomarker tests that matter

Side effects you may notice

❓ Questions you and your loved ones can ask

Back to Breast cancer overview. Other types: HER2-positive breast cancer (and HER2-low), Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, stage 0), Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

Written by the Cancer Side Effects Guide team from FDA labels and leading cancer centers. Not medical advice. · Last updated: October 15, 2026 · How we write

Not medical advice. This page is general information to help you talk with your care team. It can't replace advice from your doctor or nurse. If you have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher during treatment, or any symptom that worries you, call your care team now. In an emergency, call 911.

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