skip to the content

Importance of HER2 testing in breast cancer

 

Practice guidelines recommend that HER2 status should be evaluated in all primary breast cancer patients, at the time of either diagnosis or recurrence (including time of metastatic diagnosis in patients who previously received Herceptin as adjuvant therapy), so that optimal patient management can be provided.1-5

 

Accurate assessment of HER2 status is essential to ensure that all patients

who are likely to benefit from Herceptin are correctly identified, while avoiding unnecessary treatment of patients who are unlikely to benefit.6-8


Clinical trial data show that patients who strongly overexpress HER2 (immunohistochemistry [IHC] score of 3 or in situ hybridisation [ISH]-positive tumours) gain the greatest clinical benefits from Herceptin treatment, including prolongation of survival.9-11

 

References

  1. Bast RC Jr et al. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19: 1865-1878.
  2. Carlson RW, McCormick B. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2005; 3 (Suppl 1): S7-S11.
  3. Goldhirsch A et al. Ann Oncol 2005; 16: 1569-1583.
  4. Goldhirsch A et al. Ann Oncol 2006; 17: 1772-1776.
  5. National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2008. Available at: nccn.org.
  6. Dowsett M et al. J Clin Pathol 2007; 60: 685-689.
  7. Harris L et al. J Clin Oncol 2007; 25: 5287-5312.
  8. Wolff AC et al. J Clin Oncol 2007; 25: 118-145.
  9. Baselga J. Oncology 2001; 61 (Suppl 2): 14-21.
  10. Slamon DJ et al. N Engl J Med 2001; 344: 783-792.
  11. Smith IE. Anticancer Drugs 2001; 12 (Suppl 4): S3-S10.