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Review
. 2025 Jul 22:6:21.
doi: 10.21037/tbcr-25-34. eCollection 2025.

Chinese expert consensus on clinical diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer targeting HER2

Jianbin Li  1 , Yueping Liu  2 , Shu Wang  3 , Shusen Wang  4 , Shaohua Zhang  1 , Man Li  5 , Jin Yang  6 , Xueli Mo  7 , Min Yan  8 , Cuizhi Geng  2 , Feng Jin  9 , Yongmei Yin  10 , Jiong Wu  11 , Erwei Song  12 , Zefei Jiang  1 ; Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Committee
Affiliations
Review

Chinese expert consensus on clinical diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer targeting HER2

Jianbin Li et al. Transl Breast Cancer Res. .

Abstract

Background: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an important driver gene and prognostic indicator of breast cancer and also a key predictor of HER2-targeted therapies. Both the low expression and the positive expression of the HER2 protein are clinically significant for disease treatment and prognosis.

Methods: (I) Establishment of expert group: the expert group consists of experts from departments such as medical oncology, breast surgery, and pathology; (II) literature search: mainly conducted in English databases (such as PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) with a search cutoff date of June 1, 2025; (III) assessment of evidence quality and recommendation strength: evidence quality and recommendation opinions are graded based on the evidence category and recommendation level of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) guidelines.

Results: The emerging anti-HER2 drugs have greatly changed the diagnosis and treatment modalities of breast cancer and dramatically improved the prognosis of patients with HER2 expression in breast cancer. To optimize the treatment, an update of expert consensus on breast cancer with HER2 expression was made to adjust the different recommendation levels from early stage to metastatic stage. In this consensus, we also talk about the importance of clinical research, real-world evidence, biosimilars and so on.

Conclusions: The overarching goal of this consensus is to deliver individualized treatment strategies that not only prolong survival but also enhance quality of life, ensuring HER2-positive breast cancer patients receive the most advanced, patient-centered care available.

Keywords: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2); breast cancer; consensus; low expression.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tbcr.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tbcr-25-34/coif). Z.J. serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Translational Breast Cancer Research. J.L. serves as the unpaid Managing Editor of Translational Breast Cancer Research. Y.L., Shu Wang serve as the unpaid editorial board members of Translational Breast Cancer Research from May 2025 to December 2027. Shusen Wang, C.G., F.J., Y.Y., J.W., and E.S. serve as the unpaid editorial board members of Translational Breast Cancer Research from March 2024 to February 2026. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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