A picture paints 1000 words

We all hear 'we need to wait for the pathology report' and 'Tamoxifen prevents breast cancer recurrence'. But what exactly does this look like? I had no idea. Now I do, thanks to Cure Magazine (www.curetoday.com) - go get a subscription if you have or had cancer and don't receive it.

On the left we have: Estrogen binds to the estrogen receptor, initiating a cascade of events that activate certain genes leading to tumor cell growth.

On the right we have:Tamoxifen blocks estrogen binding to the estrogen receptor, stopping tumor growth.

Starting from the left:

Immunohistochemitry (IHC) for the estrogen receptor in the cell nucleus. Left to right: Low, mildly positive, and highly positive.

Next image: Flourescence in situ hybridization (FISH) tests for Her2 expression by staining a control chromosome green and the Her2 receptor pink.
Final image: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) tests show the Her2 receptor at the cell surface.