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Thursday, January 11, 2024 – 5:44 p.m. WIB
VIVA Lifestyle – Patients diagnosed with complete breast cancer are aware of their human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. HER2 is something everyone has that tells cells when to grow and when to stop growing.
In cancer, too much HER2 can cause cell growth to become uncontrolled and the disease to become more aggressive. But what if the opposite happens? Scroll to find out the answer.
Rachel Layman, MD, an expert in HER2-low breast cancer at the University of Texas, introduced a new drug molecule that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first treatment for HER2-low breast cancer.
Rachel explains what it means to have HER2-low breast cancer and how a more accurate diagnosis can lead to more effective treatment for patients in an article on the University of Texas website.
“After an initial breast cancer diagnosis, tissue from the tumor is sent for a special test called an immunohistochemical test (IHK). This test will show how much HER2 is on the surface of the cancer cells,” Rachel said in her statement. quoted on Thursday, January 11, 2024.
“If the CPI value is three, the tumor is HER2 positive. For many years, a value less than three was considered HER2 negative. Thanks to more detailed testing, there is now a name for HER2 levels between 1 and 2: HER2.” Low. A value of zero is called HER2 negative,” he continued.
If the CPI score is 2, a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test is required to determine whether HER2 is positive or negative. This pathological technique examines the gene that codes for HER2 and determines how many copies there are.
“If the FISH test result is positive, then HER2 is positive. If FISH is negative, then HER2 Low. Once the classification is complete, your medical team can recommend the most appropriate treatment plan for you,” he explained.
Treatment of HER2-low breast cancer
According to Rachel, the standard treatment for patients with newly diagnosed disease that has not yet spread is chemotherapy, endocrine therapy or immunotherapy.
“To date, there are no specific treatment options for metastatic patients with HER2-low breast cancer. Instead, they are given standard treatment options depending on the prognosis of their breast cancer,” he said.
“However, in a clinical trial called DESTINY-Breast 04 conducted by ASCO Pubs, it proved to be more successful than expected. Now we have a new way to target HER2 Low, giving patients a choice in their breast cancer treatment,” he added.
What advice can be given to patients with HER2-low breast cancer?
Before HER2 Low, breast cancer was labeled as HER2 positive or HER2 negative. But now 50-60 percent of breast cancer diagnoses can be classified as HER2-low. With these new targeted therapies, it is important for patients to find a treatment center that can perform appropriate testing.
“If a patient has HER2-negative breast cancer with metastatic disease or experiences a recurrence, the patient should ask the doctor to check the patient’s HER2 status,” concluded Rachel Layman.
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