Breast cancer human epidermal growth factor receptor

Wolff AC, Hammond MEH, Schwartz JN, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists Guideline Recommendations for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Testing in Breast Cancer. Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. 2007 131 18-43. 

Wolff A, Hammond M, Schwartz J, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology/ College of American Pathologists guideline recommendations for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing in breast cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 2007 25 118-145. 

Trastuzumab is licensed for the treatment of early breast cancer that overexpresses human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2). It may be administered as monotherapy or in combination with, for example, paclitaxel, docetaxel (taxanes) or anastrozole (aromatase inhibitors). Since trastuzumab can cause cardiotoxicity, concomitant use with anthracyclines such as... 

Trastuzumab is a recombinant DNA-derived, humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to the extracellular domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor HER-2/ . This antibody blocks the natural ligand from binding and down-regulates the receptor. Trastuzumab is approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in patients whose tumors overexpress HER-2/ . As a single agent it induces remission in about 15-20% of patients in combination with chemotherapy, it increases response rate and duration as well as 1-year survival. Trastuzumab is under investigation for other tumors that express HER-2... 

Zhang DH, Tai LK, Wong LL, Sethi SK, Koay ES. Proteomics of breast cancer Enhanced expression of cytokeratinl9 in human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 positive breast tumors. Proteomics 2005 5(7) 1797-1805. 

First-line chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer is now largely dependent on the patient s HER-2 antigen status. The HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) protein is overexpressed on the surface of breast cancer cells in approximately 15-25% of patients. The measurement of this protein can be performed by immunohistochemistry methods, where the degree of protein expression is denoted by negative, 1+, 2+ or 3+. As Mrs CR s has HER-2,3+ disease, this denotes strong protein overexpression. 

First-line treatment of her metastatic breast cancer should therefore incorporate the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin). NICE (2002b) have issued a technology appraisal on the use of trastuzumab in metastatic breast cancer which states that trastuzumab be used in combination with paclitaxel for women with tumours with excessive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) at levels of 3+ who have not had chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer and for whom anthracycline treatment is inappropriate. ... 

Leonard DS, Hill AD, Kelly L, Dijkstra B, McDermott E, O Higgins NJ. Anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 monoclonal antibody therapy for breast cancer. Br J Surg 2002 89(3) 262-71. 

Herceptin is the trade name given to one such antibody-based cancer therapy product (Table 8). It is a humanized niAb with binding specificity for the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which is overexpressed on the surface of 25-30% of metastatic breast cancers. HER2 overexpression induces abnormal proliferation of cells (see also Part I, Chapter 5). The niAb binds specifically to the... 

Buzdar AU, Ibrahim NK, brands D, et al. Significantly higher pathologic complete remission rate after neoadjuvant therapy with trastuzumab, paditaxel, and epimbidn chemotherapy Results of a randomized trial in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive operable breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2005, 23 (published ahead of print). 

A monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2) has been developed for use in metastatic breast cancer. This dmg is trastuzumab (Herceptin) and is also being monitored by the MHRA. 

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