Human epidermal growth factor (Her-2) in gastric and colorectal adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GIT) malignancies are a substantial health concern. Most patients present to the clinics with advanced and un-resectable diseases, so it remains difficult to cure with the existing chemotherapeutic regimes. It is therefore extremely important to devise novel therapeutic targets in these neoplasms in order to improve patient's survival. One such target is human epidermal growth factor, also known as Her-2. Although Her-2 expression and the use of a-Her-2 medications in breast cancers is well established, but its expression and potential use as a therapeutic target in gastrointestinal malignancies remains controversial and heavily debated. This review was planned to summarise the available literature extracted from the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) and Pubmed Central, related to expression of Her-2 in gastric and colorectal adenocarcinomas and their correlation with different parameters. Moreover, we also planned to discuss available data in support of using a-Her-2 in gastric and colorectal malignancies.

Keywords: Her-2, Gastrointestinal neoplasms, Adenocarcinoma..