A comparative study of hormone receptors and HER2NEU receptor status in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with breast carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital of North-East India

Background: Breast cancer accounts for second leading cause of cancer death among women. There is biological difference in breast cancer characteristics of premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Aims: In this study we aim to compare the expression of hormone receptors and HER2NEU expression in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2023 to June 2024 in the Department of Pathology at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Haematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining were performed on 83 surgically resected mastectomy specimens from women aged 40 years and above. Results: Ninety-two per cent of the patients had infiltrating ductal carcinoma; no special type belonging to the 41–45 years followed by the age group of 45–50 years, and 61% of them were of the luminal molecular subtype. The current study found more cases of luminal A and B tumours expressing oestrogen receptor and progesterone receptor in the pre-menopausal age group. Post-menopausal women more often expressed HER2NEU or were of the triple-negative subtype compared to the pre-menopausal age group. Conclusion: Hormone receptor status was positive in a higher proportion of pre-menopausal women, highlighting the role of pre-operative biopsy in patients with suspicious breast lumps.