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Review
. 2021 Nov 18;13(22):5771.
doi: 10.3390/cancers13225771.

Her2-Positive Cancers and Antibody-Based Treatment: State of the Art and Future Developments

Serafin Morales  1 , Ariadna Gasol  1 , Douglas Rene Sanchez  2
Affiliations
Review

Her2-Positive Cancers and Antibody-Based Treatment: State of the Art and Future Developments

Serafin Morales et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

HER2 positive breast cancer represent about 20% of all breast cancer subtypes and it was considered the subtype with the worst prognosis until the discovery of therapies directed against the HER2 protein. The determination of the status of the HER2 must be very precise and well managed to identify this subtype, and there are very specific and updated guides that allow its characterization to be adjusted. Treatment in local disease has been considerably improved with less aggressive and highly effective approaches and very high cure rates. In metastatic disease, average median survival rates of 5 years have been achieved. New highly active molecules have also been discovered that allow disease control in very complicated situations. This article reviews all these options that can be used for the management of this disease.

Keywords: HER2 positive breast cancer; targeted therapies; treatment algorithm.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Algorithm for evaluation of human epider mal growth factor receptor (HER2) protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay of the invasive component of a breast cancer specimen.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunohistochemical images of her2. scale bar or magnification: 25× in (1+) and 20× in (2+) and (3+).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunohistochemical images of her2. scale bar or magnification: 25× in (1+) and 20× in (2+) and (3+).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Algorithm for evaluation of human epider mal growth factor receptor (HER2) gene amplification by in situ hybridization (ISH) assay of the invasive component of a breast cancer specimen use a dual-signal (HER2 gene) assay (dual-probe ISH).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proposed treatment algorithm for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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