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Questions About Cancer? 1-800-4-CANCER

NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

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estrogen receptor negative  listen  (ES-truh-jin reh-SEP-ter NEH-guh-tiv)

  Describes cells that do not have a protein to which the hormone estrogen will bind. Cancer cells that are estrogen receptor negative do not need estrogen to grow, and usually do not stop growing when treated with hormones that block estrogen from binding. Also called ER-.