Francisco J. Esteva: The way we approach HER2 testing for breast cancer is changing

Francisco J. Esteva, Director at Breast Cancer Translational Research, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Progress in Breast Cancer Treatment: Rethinking HER2 Testing.

The way we approach HER2 testing for breast cancer is changing.

Traditionally, a negative result meant patients wouldn’t benefit from HER2-targeted therapy. The success of trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) in HER2-Low breast cancer has turned this concept on its head, because these tumors were previously considered “HER2-negative.

On the other hand, not all patients with HER2-positive breast cancer respond to treatment. This means conventional testing methods (IHC, FISH) have a low “positive predictive value.

But what if we could predict which patients would truly benefit from HER2 therapy?

Novel molecular tests, such as HER2DX, are showing promise.

In the PHERGAIN trial, HER2DX accurately predicted outcomes and long-term success for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer treated with trastuzumab and pertuzumab.

As more HER2-targeted therapies emerge, improving the accuracy of HER2 testing is crucial. The validation of the HER2DX assay is a significant step forward in this area.”

Source: Francisco J. Esteva/LinkedIn