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Sample records for her2 non-amplified patients

  1. Neratinib overcomes trastuzumab resistance in HER2 amplified breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canonici, Alexandra; Gijsen, Merel; Mullooly, Maeve; Bennett, Ruth; Bouguern, Noujoude; Pedersen, Kasper; O'Brien, Neil A; Roxanis, Ioannis; Li, Ji-Liang; Bridge, Esther; Finn, Richard; Siamon, Dennis; McGowan, Patricia; Duffy, Michael J; O'Donovan, Norma; Crown, John; Kong, Anthony

    2013-10-01

    Trastuzumab has been shown to improve the survival outcomes of HER2 positive breast cancer patients. However, a significant proportion of HER2-positive patients are either inherently resistant or develop resistance to trastuzumab. We assessed the effects of neratinib, an irreversible panHER inhibitor, in a panel of 36 breast cancer cell lines. We further assessed its effects with or without trastuzumab in several sensitive and resistant breast cancer cells as well as a BT474 xenograft model. We confirmed that neratinib was significantly more active in HER2-amplified than HER2 non-amplified cell lines. Neratinib decreased the activation of the 4 HER receptors and inhibited downstream pathways. However, HER3 and Akt were reactivated at 24 hours, which was prevented by the combination of trastuzumab and neratinib. Neratinib also decreased pHER2 and pHER3 in acquired trastuzumab resistant cells. Neratinib in combination with trastuzumab had a greater growth inhibitory effect than either drug alone in 4 HER2 positive cell lines. Furthermore, trastuzumab in combination with neratinib was growth inhibitory in SKBR3 and BT474 cells which had acquired resistance to trastuzumab as well as in a BT474 xenograft model. Innately trastuzumab resistant cell lines showed sensitivity to neratinib, but the combination did not enhance response compared to neratinib alone. Levels of HER2 and phospho-HER2 showed a direct correlation with sensitivity to neratinib. Our data indicate that neratinib is an effective anti-HER2 therapy and counteracted both innate and acquired trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Our results suggest that combined treatment with trastuzumab and neratinib is likely to be more effective than either treatment alone for both trastuzumab-sensitive breast cancer as well as HER2-positive tumors with acquired resistance to trastuzumab.

  2. Neratinib shows efficacy in the treatment of HER2/neu amplified uterine serous carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

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    Schwab, Carlton L; English, Diana P; Roque, Dana M; Bellone, Stefania; Lopez, Salvatore; Cocco, Emiliano; Nicoletti, Roberta; Rutherford, Thomas J; Schwartz, Peter E; Santin, Alessandro D

    2014-10-01

    Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) represents an aggressive variant of endometrial cancer and accounts for a large proportion of deaths annually. HER2/neu amplification is associated with USC in approximately 30-35% of cases. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity of a panel of primary USC cell lines to the small tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib, an ErbB1 and HER2 inhibitor, both in vitro and in vivo. HER2/neu amplification was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in 24 USC cell lines. Flow cytometry was used to determine the effects of neratinib on cell viability, cell cycle distribution and signaling in vitro. Mice harboring HER2/neu amplified xenografts were treated with neratinib to assess the efficacy of the drug in vivo. HER2/neu amplification was noted in 8/24 primary cell lines. Data regarding the efficacy of neratinib was determined using 4 HER2 amplified cell lines and 4 non-amplified cell lines with similar growth rates. Data revealed that cell lines with HER2/neu amplification were exquisitely more sensitive to neratinib compared to non-amplified cell lines (mean ± SEM IC50: 0.011μM ± 0.0008 vs. 0.312μM ± 0.0456 pNeratinib caused arrest in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and resulted in decreased autophosphorylation of HER2 and activation of S6. Neratinib treated mice harboring xenografts of HER2/neu amplified USC showed delayed tumor growth and improved overall survival compared to vehicle (p=0.0019). Neratinib may be a potential treatment option for patients harboring HER2/neu amplified USC. Clinical trials for this subset of endometrial cancer patients are warranted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Neratinib shows efficacy in the treatment of HER2 amplified carcinosarcoma in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwab, Carlton L; English, Diana P; Black, Jonathan; Bellone, Stefania; Lopez, Salvatore; Cocco, Emiliano; Bonazzoli, Elena; Bussi, Beatrice; Predolini, Federica; Ferrari, Francesca; Ratner, Elena; Silasi, Dan-Arin; Azodi, Masoud; Rutherford, Thomas; Schwartz, Peter E; Santin, Alessandro D

    2015-10-01

    Carcinosarcoma is a deadly gynecologic malignancy with few effective treatment options. The study of new therapies is difficult because of its rarity. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of neratinib in the treatment of HER2 amplified carcinosarcoma. The efficacy of neratinib in the treatment of HER2 amplified carcinosarcoma was determined in vitro using seven primary carcinosarcoma cell lines with differential expression of HER2/neu. Data regarding IC50, cell cycle distribution, and cell signaling changes were assessed by flow cytometry. The efficacy of neratinib was determined in treating mice harboring HER2 amplified carcinosarcoma xenografts. Two of seven (28.5%) carcinosarcoma cell lines were HER2/neu amplified. HER2/neu amplified cell lines SARARK6 and SARARK9 were significantly more sensitive to neratinib than the five non-HER2/neu amplified carcinosarcoma cell lines (mean±SEM IC50:0.014μM±0.004vs.0.164μM±0.019 p=0.0003). Neratinib treatment caused a significant build up in G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, arrest auto phosphorylation of HER2/neu and activation of S6. Neratinib inhibited tumor growth (p=0.012) and prolonged survival in mice harboring HER2 amplified carcinosarcoma xenografts (p=0.0039). Neratinib inhibits HER2 amplified carcinosarcoma proliferation, signaling, cell cycle progression and tumor growth in vitro. Neratinib inhibits HER2/neu amplified xenograft growth and improves overall survival. Clinical trials are warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. A TORC2-Akt feedforward topology underlies HER3 resiliency in HER2-amplified cancers

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    Amin, Dhara N.; Ahuja, Deepika; Yaswen, Paul; Moasser, Mark M.

    2015-01-01

    The requisite role of HER3 in HER2-amplified cancers is beyond what would be expected as a dimerization partner or effector substrate and it exhibits a substantial degree of resiliency that mitigates the effects of HER2-inhibitor therapies. To better understand the roots of this resiliency, we conducted an in-depth chemical-genetic interrogation of the signaling network downstream of HER3. A unique attribute of these tumors is the deregulation of TORC2. The upstream signals that ordinarily maintain TORC2 signaling are lost in these tumors, and instead TORC2 is driven by Akt. We find that in these cancers HER3 functions as a buffering arm of an Akt-TORC2 feed-forward loop that functions as a self-perpetuating module. This network topology alters the role of HER3 from a conditionally engaged ligand-driven upstream physiologic signaling input to an essential component of a concentric signaling throughput highly competent at preservation of homeostasis. The competence of this signaling topology is evident in its response to perturbation at any of its nodes. Thus a critical pathophysiological event in the evolution of HER2-amplified cancers is the loss of the input signals that normally drive TORC2 signaling, repositioning it under Akt dependency and fundamentally altering the role of HER3. This reprogramming of the downstream network topology is a key aspect in the pathogenesis of HER2-amplified cancers and constitutes a formidable barrier in the targeted therapy of these cancers. PMID:26438156

  5. Efficacy of neratinib in the treatment of HER2/neu-amplified epithelial ovarian carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menderes, Gulden; Bonazzoli, Elena; Bellone, Stefania; Black, Jonathan D; Lopez, Salvatore; Pettinella, Francesca; Masserdotti, Alice; Zammataro, Luca; Litkouhi, Babak; Ratner, Elena; Silasi, Dan-Arin; Azodi, Masoud; Schwartz, Peter E; Santin, Alessandro D

    2017-05-01

    Epithelial ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal of gynecologic malignancies. There is a need to optimize the currently available treatment strategies and to urgently develop novel therapeutic agents against chemotherapy-resistant disease. The objective of our study was to evaluate neratinib's preclinical efficacy in treating HER2-amplified ovarian cancer. Neratinib's efficacy in treating HER2-amplified ovarian cancer was studied in vitro utilizing six primary tumor cell lines with differential HER2/neu expression. Flow cytometry was utilized to assess IC 50 , cell signaling changes, and cell cycle distribution. Neratinib's in vivo efficacy was evaluated in HER2-amplified epithelial ovarian carcinoma xenografts. Three of six (50%) ovarian cancer cell lines were HER2/neu-amplified. Neratinib showed significantly higher efficacy in treating HER2/neu-amplified cell lines when compared to the non-HER2/neu-amplified tumor cell lines (mean ± SEM IC 50 :0.010 μM ± 0.0003 vs. 0.076 μM ± 0.005 p Neratinib treatment significantly decreased the phosphorylation of the transcription factor S6, leading to arrest of the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. Neratinib prolonged survival in mice harboring HER2-amplified epithelial ovarian carcinoma xenografts (p = 0.003). Neratinib inhibits proliferation, signaling, cell cycle progression and tumor growth of HER2-amplified epithelial ovarian carcinoma in vitro. Neratinib inhibits xenograft growth and improves overall survival in HER2/neu-amplified ovarian cancer in vivo. Clinical trials are warranted.

  6. The efficacy of lapatinib in metastatic breast cancer with HER2 non-amplified primary tumors and EGFR positive circulating tumor cells: a proof-of-concept study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin Stebbing

    Full Text Available Analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs provides real-time measures of cancer sub-populations with potential for CTC-directed therapeutics. We examined whether lapatinib which binds both HER2 and EGFR could induce depletion of the EGFR-positive pool of CTCs, which may in turn lead to clinical benefits.Patients with metastatic breast cancer and HER2 non-amplified primary tumors with EGFR-positive CTCs were recruited and lapatinib 1500 mg daily was administered, in a standard two step phase 2 trial.There were no responses leading to termination at the first analysis with 16 patients recruited out of 43 screened. In 6 out of 14 (43% individuals eligible for the efficacy analysis, a decrease in CTCs was observed with most of these having a greater decrease in their EGFR-positive CTC pool.This is one of the first studies of CTC-directed therapeutics and suggests that lapatinib monotherapy is not having any demonstrable clinical effects by reducing the EGFR-positive pool of CTCs in HER2 non-amplified primary tumors. Our attempt to expand the pool of patients eligible for a targeted therapy was unsuccessful; the role of clonal populations in cancer biology and therapeutic strategies to control them will require extensive evaluation in years to come.Clinical trials.gov NCT00820924.

  7. Coamplification of miR-4728 protects HER2-amplified breast cancers from targeted therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Floros, Konstantinos V.; Hu, Bin; Monterrubio, Carles; Hughes, Mark T.; Wells, Jason D.; Morales, Cristina Bernadó; Ghotra, Maninderjit S.; Costa, Carlotta; Souers, Andrew J.; Boikos, Sosipatros A.; Leverson, Joel D.; Tan, Ming; Serra, Violeta; Koblinski, Jennifer E.; Arribas, Joaquin; Prat, Aleix; Paré, Laia; Miller, Todd W.; Harada, Hisashi; Windle, Brad E.; Scaltriti, Maurizio; Faber, Anthony C.

    2018-01-01

    HER2 (ERBB2) amplification is a driving oncogenic event in breast cancer. Clinical trials have consistently shown the benefit of HER2 inhibitors (HER2i) in treating patients with both local and advanced HER2+ breast cancer. Despite this benefit, their efficacy as single agents is limited, unlike the robust responses to other receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors like EGFR inhibitors in EGFR-mutant lung cancer. Interestingly, the lack of HER2i efficacy occurs despite sufficient intracellular signaling shutdown following HER2i treatment. Exploring possible intrinsic causes for this lack of response, we uncovered remarkably depressed levels of NOXA, an endogenous inhibitor of the antiapoptotic MCL-1, in HER2-amplified breast cancer. Upon investigation of the mechanism leading to low NOXA, we identified a micro-RNA encoded in an intron of HER2, termed miR-4728, that targets the mRNA of the Estrogen Receptor α (ESR1). Reduced ESR1 expression in turn prevents ERα-mediated transcription of NOXA, mitigating apoptosis following treatment with the HER2i lapatinib. Importantly, resistance can be overcome with pharmacological inhibition of MCL-1. More generally, while many cancers like EGFR-mutant lung cancer are driven by activated kinases that when drugged lead to robust monotherapeutic responses, we demonstrate that the efficacy of targeted therapies directed against oncogenes active through focal amplification may be mitigated by coamplified genes. PMID:29476008

  8. Antitumor activity of pan-HER inhibitors in HER2-positive gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshioka, Takahiro; Shien, Kazuhiko; Namba, Kei; Torigoe, Hidejiro; Sato, Hiroki; Tomida, Shuta; Yamamoto, Hiromasa; Asano, Hiroaki; Soh, Junichi; Tsukuda, Kazunori; Nagasaka, Takeshi; Fujiwara, Toshiyoshi; Toyooka, Shinichi

    2018-04-01

    Molecularly targeted therapy has enabled outstanding advances in cancer treatment. Whereas various anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) drugs have been developed, trastuzumab is still the only anti-HER2 drug presently available for gastric cancer. In this study, we propose novel treatment options for patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer. First, we determined the molecular profiles of 12 gastric cancer cell lines, and examined the antitumor effect of the pan-HER inhibitors afatinib and neratinib in those cell lines. Additionally, we analyzed HER2 alteration in 123 primary gastric cancers resected from Japanese patients to clarify possible candidates with the potential to respond to these drugs. In the drug sensitivity analysis, both afatinib and neratinib produced an antitumor effect in most of the HER2-amplified cell lines. However, some cells were not sensitive to the drugs. When the molecular profiles of the cells were compared based on the drug sensitivities, we found that cancer cells with lower mRNA expression levels of IGFBP7, a tumor suppressor gene that inhibits the activation of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), were less sensitive to pan-HER inhibitors. A combination therapy consisting of pan-HER inhibitors and an IGF-1R inhibitor, picropodophyllin, showed a notable synergistic effect. Among 123 clinical samples, we found 19 cases of HER2 amplification and three cases of oncogenic mutations. In conclusion, afatinib and neratinib are promising therapeutic options for the treatment of HER2-amplified gastric cancer. In addition to HER2 amplification, IGFBP7 might be a biomarker of sensitivity to these drugs, and IGF-1R-targeting therapy can overcome drug insensitiveness in HER2-amplified gastric cancer. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

  9. HER2-Mutated Breast Cancer Responds to Treatment With Single-Agent Neratinib, a Second-Generation HER2/EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Baruch, Noa Efrat; Bose, Ron; Kavuri, Shyam M; Ma, Cynthia X; Ellis, Matthew J

    2015-09-01

    Activating mutations in the HER2 tyrosine kinase have been identified in human breast cancers that lack HER2 gene amplification. These patients are not candidates for HER2-targeted drugs under current standards of care, but preclinical data strongly suggest that these patients will benefit from anti-HER2 drugs. This case report describes a young woman with metastatic breast cancer whose tumor was found to carry a HER2 L755S mutation, which is in the kinase domain of HER2. Treatment with the second-generation HER2/EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib resulted in partial response and dramatic improvement in the patient's functional status. This partial response lasted 11 months, and when the patient's cancer progressed, she was treated with neratinib plus capecitabine and her cancer again responded. This second response parallels the benefit seen with continuing trastuzumab in HER2-amplified breast cancer after disease progression. This case represents the first report, to our knowledge, of successful single-agent treatment of HER2-mutated breast cancer. Two clinical trials of neratinib for HER2-mutated metastatic breast cancer are currently enrolling patients. Further, data from The Cancer Genome Atlas project have identified HER2 mutations in a wide range of solid tumors, including bladder, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancers, suggesting that clinical trials of neratinib or neratinib-based combinations for HER2-mutated solid tumors is warranted. Copyright © 2015 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

  10. Metastatic Breast Cancer Survival according to HER2 and Topo2a Gene Status

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Todorović-Raković

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between amplification of HER2 (Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and Topo2a (topoisomerase 2a and their influence on prognosis in metastatic breast cancer (MBC patients. Amplification of both HER2 and Topo2a genes was determined by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH in primary tumor tissue of 71 MBC patients. Starting point for follow-up was the time of diagnosis of metastatic disease. Although there was significant correlation between HER2 amplification and Topo2a alterations, Topo2a amplification was not strictly related to HER2 amplification. Follow-up of patients showed that there was no difference in MBC survival between HER2-nonamplified and HER2-amplified patients for subgroup as whole, but there was significant difference in MBC survival between patients with and without Topo2a amplification. HER2 amplification showed prognostic value in subgroups of patients, as well as Topo2a. Combination of these two genes with different status (nonamplified, amplified, coamplified indicated that they might have additive effect. Also, it has been shown that Topo2a-amplified cases have poorer survival than Topo2a-nonamplified, when treated with CMF therapy.

  11. Current therapeutic strategies of anti-HER2 treatment in advanced breast cancer patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Huszno

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The HER2/neu ( ERBB2 oncogene is amplified and/or overexpressed in approximately 20% of breast cancers, and is a strong prognostic factor for relapse and poor overall survival, particularly in node-positive patients. It is also an important predictor for response to trastuzumab, which has established efficacy against breast cancer with overexpression or amplification of the HER2 oncogene. Treatment with the anti-HER2 humanized monoclonal antibody – trastuzumab significantly improves progression-free and overall survival among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. However, in most patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, the disease progresses occurred, what cause the need for new targeted therapies for advanced disease. In clinical trials, there are tested new drugs to improve the results of treatment for this group of patients. This paper presents new drugs introduced into clinical practice for treatment of advanced breast cancer, whose molecular target are receptors of the HER2 family. In addition, new therapeutic strategies and drugs that are currently in clinical researches are discussed.

  12. HER2 mutated breast cancer responds to treatment with single agent neratinib, a second generation HER2/EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben–Baruch, Noa Efrat; Bose, Ron; Kavuri, Shyam M.; Ma, Cynthia X.; Ellis, Matthew J.

    2015-01-01

    Activating mutations in the HER2 tyrosine kinase have been identified in human breast cancers that lack HER2 gene amplification. These patients are not candidates for HER2 targeted drugs under current standards of care, but preclinical data strongly suggest that these patients will benefit from anti-HER2 drugs. In this case report, we describe a young woman with metastatic breast cancer whose tumor was found to carry a HER2 L755S mutation, which is in the kinase domain of HER2. Treatment with the second generation HER2/EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, neratinib, resulted in partial response and dramatic improvement in the patient’s function status. This partial response lasted 11 months and when the patient’s cancer progressed, she was treated with neratinib plus capecitabine and her cancer again responded. This second response parallels the benefit seen with continuing trastuzumab in HER2 amplified breast cancer after disease progression. This case is the first report, to our knowledge, of successful single agent treatment of HER2 mutated breast cancer. Two clinical trials of neratinib for HER2 mutated, metastatic breast cancer are currently enrolling patients. Further, data from The Cancer Genome Atlas project have identified HER2 mutations in a wide range of solid tumors, including bladder, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancer, suggesting that clinical trials of neratinib or neratinib-based combinations for HER2 mutated solid tumors is warranted. PMID:26358790

  13. Single-cell quantitative HER2 measurement identifies heterogeneity and distinct subgroups within traditionally defined HER2-positive patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onsum, Matthew D; Geretti, Elena; Paragas, Violette; Kudla, Arthur J; Moulis, Sharon P; Luus, Lia; Wickham, Thomas J; McDonagh, Charlotte F; MacBeath, Gavin; Hendriks, Bart S

    2013-11-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an important biomarker for breast and gastric cancer prognosis and patient treatment decisions. HER2 positivity, as defined by IHC or fluorescent in situ hybridization testing, remains an imprecise predictor of patient response to HER2-targeted therapies. Challenges to correct HER2 assessment and patient stratification include intratumoral heterogeneity, lack of quantitative and/or objective assays, and differences between measuring HER2 amplification at the protein versus gene level. We developed a novel immunofluorescence method for quantitation of HER2 protein expression at the single-cell level on FFPE patient samples. Our assay uses automated image analysis to identify and classify tumor versus non-tumor cells, as well as quantitate the HER2 staining for each tumor cell. The HER2 staining level is converted to HER2 protein expression using a standard cell pellet array stained in parallel with the tissue sample. This approach allows assessment of HER2 expression and heterogeneity within a tissue section at the single-cell level. By using this assay, we identified distinct subgroups of HER2 heterogeneity within traditional definitions of HER2 positivity in both breast and gastric cancers. Quantitative assessment of intratumoral HER2 heterogeneity may offer an opportunity to improve the identification of patients likely to respond to HER2-targeted therapies. The broad applicability of the assay was demonstrated by measuring HER2 expression profiles on multiple tumor types, and on normal and diseased heart tissues. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Divisional role of quantitative HER2 testing in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto-Ibusuki, Mutsuko; Yamamoto, Yutaka; Fu, Peifen; Yamamoto, Satoko; Fujiwara, Saori; Honda, Yumi; Iyama, Ken-ichi; Iwase, Hirotaka

    2015-03-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is amplified in human breast cancers in which therapy targeted to HER2 significantly improves patient outcome. We re-visited the use of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based assays using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues as alternative methods and investigated their particular clinical relevance. DNA and RNA were isolated from FFPE specimens and HER2 status was assessed by qPCR in 249 consecutive patients with primary breast cancer. Concordance with results forg immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH), clinical characteristics and survival was assessed. HER2 gene copy number had a stronger correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and excellent concordance with IHC/ISH results (Sensitivity: 96.7 %; concordance: 99.2 %). HER2 gene expression showed inadequate sensitivity, rendering it unsuitable to determine HER2 status (Sensitivity: 46.7 %; concordance: 92.1 %), but lower HER2 gene expression, leading to the classification of many cases as "false negative", contributed to a prediction of better prognosis within the HER2-amplified subpopulation. Quantitative HER2 assessments are suggested to have evolved their accuracy in this decade, which can be a potential alternative for HER2 diagnosis in line with the in situ method, while HER2 gene expression levels could provide additional information regarding prognosis or therapeutic strategy within a HER2-amplified subpopulation.

  15. Neratinib overcomes trastuzumab resistance in HER2 amplified breast cancer.

    OpenAIRE

    Canonici, A; Gijsen, M; Mullooly, M; Bennett, R; Bouguern, N; Pedersen, K; O'Brien, NA; Roxanis, I; Li, J-L; Bridge, E; Finn, R; Siamon, D; McGowan, P; Duffy, MJ; O'Donovan, N

    2013-01-01

    Trastuzumab has been shown to improve the survival outcomes of HER2 positive breast cancer patients. However, a significant proportion of HER2-positive patients are either inherently resistant or develop resistance to trastuzumab. We assessed the effects of neratinib, an irreversible panHER inhibitor, in a panel of 36 breast cancer cell lines. We further assessed its effects with or without trastuzumab in several sensitive and resistant breast cancer cells as well as a BT474 xenograft model. ...

  16. An Acquired HER2T798I Gatekeeper Mutation Induces Resistance to Neratinib in a Patient with HER2 Mutant-Driven Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanker, Ariella B; Brewer, Monica Red; Sheehan, Jonathan H; Koch, James P; Sliwoski, Gregory R; Nagy, Rebecca; Lanman, Richard; Berger, Michael F; Hyman, David M; Solit, David B; He, Jie; Miller, Vincent; Cutler, Richard E; Lalani, Alshad S; Cross, Darren; Lovly, Christine M; Meiler, Jens; Arteaga, Carlos L

    2017-06-01

    We report a HER2 T798I gatekeeper mutation in a patient with HER2 L869R -mutant breast cancer with acquired resistance to neratinib. Laboratory studies suggested that HER2 L869R is a neratinib-sensitive, gain-of-function mutation that upon dimerization with mutant HER3 E928G , also present in the breast cancer, amplifies HER2 signaling. The patient was treated with neratinib and exhibited a sustained partial response. Upon clinical progression, HER2 T798I was detected in plasma tumor cell-free DNA. Structural modeling of this acquired mutation suggested that the increased bulk of isoleucine in HER2 T798I reduces neratinib binding. Neratinib blocked HER2-mediated signaling and growth in cells expressing HER2 L869R but not HER2 L869R/T798I In contrast, afatinib and the osimertinib metabolite AZ5104 strongly suppressed HER2 L869R/T798I -induced signaling and cell growth. Acquisition of HER2 T798I upon development of resistance to neratinib in a breast cancer with an initial activating HER2 mutation suggests HER2 L869R is a driver mutation. HER2 T798I -mediated neratinib resistance may be overcome by other irreversible HER2 inhibitors like afatinib. Significance: We found an acquired HER2 gatekeeper mutation in a patient with HER2 -mutant breast cancer upon clinical progression on neratinib. We speculate that HER2 T798I may arise as a secondary mutation following response to effective HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in other cancers with HER2 -activating mutations. This resistance may be overcome by other irreversible HER2 TKIs, such as afatinib. Cancer Discov; 7(6); 575-85. ©2017 AACR. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 539 . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  17. Switching addictions between HER2 and FGFR2 in HER2-positive breast tumor cells: FGFR2 as a potential target for salvage after lapatinib failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azuma, Koichi; Tsurutani, Junji; Sakai, Kazuko; Kaneda, Hiroyasu; Fujisaka, Yasuhito; Takeda, Masayuki; Watatani, Masahiro; Arao, Tokuzo; Satoh, Taroh; Okamoto, Isamu; Kurata, Takayasu; Nishio, Kazuto; Nakagawa, Kazuhiko

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → A lapatinib-resistant breast cancer cell line, UACC812 (UACC812/LR), was found to harbor amplification of the FGFR2 gene. → Inhibition of the molecule by a specific inhibitor of FGFR dramatically induced growth inhibition accompanied by cell death. → Immunohistochemical analysis of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer demonstrated an association between FGFR2 expression and poor outcome for lapatinib-containing chemotherapy. -- Abstract: Agents that target HER2 have improved the prognosis of patients with HER2-amplified breast cancers. However, patients who initially respond to such targeted therapy eventually develop resistance to the treatment. We have established a line of lapatinib-resistant breast cancer cells (UACC812/LR) by chronic exposure of HER2-amplified and lapatinib-sensitive UACC812 cells to the drug. The mechanism by which UACC812/LR acquired resistance to lapatinib was explored using comprehensive gene hybridization. The FGFR2 gene in UACC812/LR was highly amplified, accompanied by overexpression of FGFR2 and reduced expression of HER2, and a cell proliferation assay showed that the IC 50 of PD173074, a small-molecule inhibitor of FGFR tyrosine kinase, was 10,000 times lower in UACC812/LR than in the parent cells. PD173074 decreased the phosphorylation of FGFR2 and substantially induced apoptosis in UACC812/LR, but not in the parent cells. FGFR2 appeared to be a pivotal molecule for the survival of UACC812/LR as they became independent of the HER2 pathway, suggesting that a switch of addiction from the HER2 to the FGFR2 pathway enabled cancer cells to become resistant to HER2-targeted therapy. The present study is the first to implicate FGFR in the development of resistance to lapatinib in cancer, and suggests that FGFR-targeted therapy might become a promising salvage strategy after lapatinib failure in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

  18. Switching addictions between HER2 and FGFR2 in HER2-positive breast tumor cells: FGFR2 as a potential target for salvage after lapatinib failure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Azuma, Koichi [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Tsurutani, Junji, E-mail: tsurutani_j@dotd.med.kindai.ac.jp [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Sakai, Kazuko; Kaneda, Hiroyasu [Department of Genome Biology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Fujisaka, Yasuhito; Takeda, Masayuki [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Watatani, Masahiro [Department of Surgery, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Arao, Tokuzo [Department of Genome Biology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Satoh, Taroh; Okamoto, Isamu; Kurata, Takayasu [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Nishio, Kazuto [Department of Genome Biology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan); Nakagawa, Kazuhiko [Department of Medical Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka 589-8511 (Japan)

    2011-04-01

    Highlights: {yields} A lapatinib-resistant breast cancer cell line, UACC812 (UACC812/LR), was found to harbor amplification of the FGFR2 gene. {yields} Inhibition of the molecule by a specific inhibitor of FGFR dramatically induced growth inhibition accompanied by cell death. {yields} Immunohistochemical analysis of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer demonstrated an association between FGFR2 expression and poor outcome for lapatinib-containing chemotherapy. -- Abstract: Agents that target HER2 have improved the prognosis of patients with HER2-amplified breast cancers. However, patients who initially respond to such targeted therapy eventually develop resistance to the treatment. We have established a line of lapatinib-resistant breast cancer cells (UACC812/LR) by chronic exposure of HER2-amplified and lapatinib-sensitive UACC812 cells to the drug. The mechanism by which UACC812/LR acquired resistance to lapatinib was explored using comprehensive gene hybridization. The FGFR2 gene in UACC812/LR was highly amplified, accompanied by overexpression of FGFR2 and reduced expression of HER2, and a cell proliferation assay showed that the IC{sub 50} of PD173074, a small-molecule inhibitor of FGFR tyrosine kinase, was 10,000 times lower in UACC812/LR than in the parent cells. PD173074 decreased the phosphorylation of FGFR2 and substantially induced apoptosis in UACC812/LR, but not in the parent cells. FGFR2 appeared to be a pivotal molecule for the survival of UACC812/LR as they became independent of the HER2 pathway, suggesting that a switch of addiction from the HER2 to the FGFR2 pathway enabled cancer cells to become resistant to HER2-targeted therapy. The present study is the first to implicate FGFR in the development of resistance to lapatinib in cancer, and suggests that FGFR-targeted therapy might become a promising salvage strategy after lapatinib failure in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

  19. HER2 Deregulation in Lung Cancer: Right Time to Adopt an Orphan?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cappuzzo, Federico; Landi, Lorenza

    2018-06-01

    HER2 -deregulated non-small cell lung cancer is an orphan of any specific therapy, probably because of lack of both accurate patient selection and effective drugs. Recent evidence suggests that osimertinib could be effective in HER2 -amplified or mutated lung cancer as a single agent or in combination. Clin Cancer Res; 24(11); 2470-2. ©2018 AACR See related article by Liu et al., p. 2594 . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

  20. Is overexpression of HER-2 a predictor of prognosis in colorectal cancer?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Kavanagh, Dara O

    2012-01-31

    BACKGROUND: The development of novel chemotherapeutic agents in colorectal cancer has improved survival. Following initial response to chemotherapeutic strategies many patients develop refractory disease. This poses a significant challenge common to many cancer subtypes. Newer agents such as Bevacizumab have successfully targeted the tyrosine kinase receptor epidermal growth factor receptor in metastatic colorectal cancer. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 is another member of the tyrosine kinase receptor family which has been successfully targeted in breast cancer. This may play a role in colorectal cancer. We conducted a clinicopathological study to determine if overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 is a predictor of outcome in a cohort of patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: Clinicopathological data and paraffin-embedded specimens were collected on 132 consecutive patients who underwent colorectal resections over a 24-month period at Mayo General Hospital. Twenty-six contained non-malignant disease. Her-2\\/neu protein overexpression was detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The HER-2 4B5 Ventana monoclonal antibody was used. Fluorescent insitu hybridisation (FISH) was performed using INFORM HER-2\\/Neu Plus. Results were correlated with established clinical and pathological predictors of outcome including TNM stage. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 11.5. RESULTS: 114 were HER-2\\/Neu negative using IHC, 7 showed barely perceptible positivity (1+), 9 showed moderate staining (2+) and 2 were strongly positive (3+). There was no correlation with gender, age, grade, Dukes\\' stage, TNM stage, time to recurrence and 5-year survival (p > 0.05). FISH was applied to all 2+ and 3+ cases as well as some negative cases selected at random. Three were amplified (2 were 3+ and 1 was 2+). Similarly, HER-2 gene overexpression did not correlate with established prognostic indicators. CONCLUSION: HER-2 protein is over

  1. Is overexpression of HER-2 a predictor of prognosis in colorectal cancer?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kavanagh, Dara O; Chambers, Gillian; O' Grady, Liam; Barry, Kevin M; Waldron, Ronan P; Bennani, Fadel; Eustace, Paul W; Tobbia, Iqdam

    2009-01-01

    The development of novel chemotherapeutic agents in colorectal cancer has improved survival. Following initial response to chemotherapeutic strategies many patients develop refractory disease. This poses a significant challenge common to many cancer subtypes. Newer agents such as Bevacizumab have successfully targeted the tyrosine kinase receptor epidermal growth factor receptor in metastatic colorectal cancer. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 is another member of the tyrosine kinase receptor family which has been successfully targeted in breast cancer. This may play a role in colorectal cancer. We conducted a clinicopathological study to determine if overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 is a predictor of outcome in a cohort of patients with colorectal cancer. Clinicopathological data and paraffin-embedded specimens were collected on 132 consecutive patients who underwent colorectal resections over a 24-month period at Mayo General Hospital. Twenty-six contained non-malignant disease. Her-2/neu protein overexpression was detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The HER-2 4B5 Ventana monoclonal antibody was used. Fluorescent insitu hybridisation (FISH) was performed using INFORM HER-2/Neu Plus. Results were correlated with established clinical and pathological predictors of outcome including TNM stage. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 11.5. 114 were HER-2/Neu negative using IHC, 7 showed barely perceptible positivity (1+), 9 showed moderate staining (2+) and 2 were strongly positive (3+). There was no correlation with gender, age, grade, Dukes' stage, TNM stage, time to recurrence and 5-year survival (p > 0.05). FISH was applied to all 2+ and 3+ cases as well as some negative cases selected at random. Three were amplified (2 were 3+ and 1 was 2+). Similarly, HER-2 gene overexpression did not correlate with established prognostic indicators. HER-2 protein is over expressed in 11% of colorectal cancer patients

  2. Determining true HER2 gene status in breast cancers with polysomy by using alternative chromosome 17 reference genes: implications for anti-HER2 targeted therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tse, Chun Hing; Hwang, Harry C; Goldstein, Lynn C; Kandalaft, Patricia L; Wiley, Jesse C; Kussick, Steven J; Gown, Allen M

    2011-11-01

    The ratio of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) to CEP17 by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with the centromeric probe CEP17 is used to determine HER2 gene status in breast cancer. Increases in CEP17 copy number have been interpreted as representing polysomy 17. However, pangenomic studies have demonstrated that polysomy 17 is rare. This study tests the hypothesis that the use of alternative chromosome 17 reference genes might more accurately assess true HER2 gene status. In all, 171 patients with breast cancer who had HER2 FISH that had increased mean CEP17 copy numbers (> 2.6) were selected for additional chromosome 17 studies that used probes for Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA), and tumor protein p53 (TP53) genes. A eusomic copy number exhibited in one or more of these loci was used to calculate a revised HER2-to-chromosome-17 ratio by using the eusomic gene locus as the reference. Of 132 cases classified as nonamplified on the basis of their HER2:CEP17 ratios, 58 (43.9%) were scored as amplified by using alternative chromosome 17 reference gene probes, and 13 (92.9%) of 14 cases scored as equivocal were reclassified as amplified. Among the cases with mean HER2 copy number of 4 to 6, 41 (47.7%) of 86 had their HER2 gene status upgraded from nonamplified to amplified, and four (4.7%) of 86 were upgraded from equivocal to amplified. Our results support the findings of recent pangenomic studies that true polysomy 17 is uncommon. Additional FISH studies that use probes to the SMS, RARA, and TP53 genes are an effective way to determine the true HER2 amplification status in patients with polysomy 17 and they have important potential implications for guiding HER2-targeted therapy in breast cancer.

  3. Dual HER2\\PIK3CA targeting overcomes single-agent acquired resistance in HER2 amplified uterine serous carcinoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez, Salvatore; Cocco, Emiliano; Black, Jonathan; Bellone, Stefania; Bonazzoli, Elena; Predolini, Federica; Ferrari, Francesca; Schwab, Carlton L.; English, Diana P.; Ratner, Elena; Silasi, Dan-Arin; Azodi, Masoud; Schwartz, Peter E.; Terranova, Corrado; Angioli, Roberto; Santin, Alessandro D.

    2015-01-01

    HER2/neu gene amplification and PIK3CA driver mutations are common in uterine serous carcinoma (USC), and may represent ideal therapeutic targets against this aggressive variant of endometrial cancer. We examined the sensitivity to neratinib, taselisib and the combination of the two compounds in in vitro and in vivo experiments using PIK3CA mutated and PIK3CA-wild type HER2/neu amplified USC cell lines. Cell viability and cell cycle distribution were assessed using flow-cytometry assays. Downstream signaling was assessed by immunoblotting. Preclinical efficacy of single versus dual inhibition was evaluated in vivo using two USC-xenografts. We found both single agent neratinib and taselisib to be active but only transiently effective in controlling the in vivo growth of USC xenografts harboring HER2/neu gene amplification with or without oncogenic PIK3CA mutations. In contrast, the combination of the two inhibitors caused a stronger and long lasting growth inhibition in both USC xenografts when compared to single agent therapy. Combined targeting of HER2 and PIK3CA was associated with a significant and dose-dependent increase in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and a dose-dependent decline in the phosphorylation of S6. Importantly, dual inhibition therapy initiated after tumor progression in single agent-treated mice was still remarkably effective at inducing tumor regression in both large PIK3CA or pan-ErbB inhibitor-resistant USC xenografts. Dual HER2/PIK3CA blockade may represent a novel therapeutic option for USC patients harboring tumors with HER2/neu gene amplification and mutated or wild type PIK3CA resistant to chemotherapy. PMID:26333383

  4. Dual HER2/PIK3CA Targeting Overcomes Single-Agent Acquired Resistance in HER2-Amplified Uterine Serous Carcinoma Cell Lines In Vitro and In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez, Salvatore; Cocco, Emiliano; Black, Jonathan; Bellone, Stefania; Bonazzoli, Elena; Predolini, Federica; Ferrari, Francesca; Schwab, Carlton L; English, Diana P; Ratner, Elena; Silasi, Dan-Arin; Azodi, Masoud; Schwartz, Peter E; Terranova, Corrado; Angioli, Roberto; Santin, Alessandro D

    2015-11-01

    HER2/neu gene amplification and PIK3CA driver mutations are common in uterine serous carcinoma (USC) and may represent ideal therapeutic targets against this aggressive variant of endometrial cancer. We examined the sensitivity to neratinib, taselisib, and the combination of the two compounds in in vitro and in vivo experiments using PIK3CA-mutated and PIK3CA wild-type HER2/neu-amplified USC cell lines. Cell viability and cell-cycle distribution were assessed using flow-cytometry assays. Downstream signaling was assessed by immunoblotting. Preclinical efficacy of single versus dual inhibition was evaluated in vivo using two USC xenografts. We found both single-agent neratinib and taselisib to be active but only transiently effective in controlling the in vivo growth of USC xenografts harboring HER2/neu gene amplification with or without oncogenic PIK3CA mutations. In contrast, the combination of the two inhibitors caused a stronger and long-lasting growth inhibition in both USC xenografts when compared with single-agent therapy. Combined targeting of HER2 and PIK3CA was associated with a significant and dose-dependent increase in the percentage of cells in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle and a dose-dependent decline in the phosphorylation of S6. Importantly, dual inhibition therapy initiated after tumor progression in single-agent-treated mice was still remarkably effective at inducing tumor regression in both large PIK3CA and pan-ErbB inhibitor-resistant USC xenografts. Dual HER2/PIK3CA blockade may represent a novel therapeutic option for USC patients harboring tumors with HER2/neu gene amplification and mutated or wild-type PIK3CA resistant to chemotherapy. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  5. A prospective, non-randomized phase II trial of Trastuzumab and Capecitabine in patients with HER2 expressing metastasized pancreatic cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Endlicher Esther

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer related death in Western countries. Advantages in surgical techniques, radiation and chemotherapy had almost no impact on the long term survival of affected patients. Therefore, the need for better treatment strategies is urgent. HER2, a receptor tyrosine kinase of the EGFR family, involved in signal transduction pathways leading to cell growth and differentiation is overexpressed in a number of cancers, including breast and pancreatic cancer. While in breast cancer HER2 has already been successfully used as a treatment target, there are only limited data evaluating the effects of inhibiting HER2 tyrosine kinases in patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods Here we report the design of a prospective, non-randomized multi-centered Phase II clinical study evaluating the effects of the Fluoropyrimidine-carbamate Capecitabine (Xeloda ® and the monoclonal anti-HER2 antibody Trastuzumab (Herceptin® in patients with non-resectable, HER2 overexpressing pancreatic cancer. Patients eligible for the study will receive Trastuzumab infusions on day 1, 8 and 15 concomitant to the oral intake of Capecitabine from day 1 to day 14 of each three week cylce. Cycles will be repeated until tumor progression. A total of 37 patients will be enrolled with an interim analysis after 23 patients. Discussion Primary end point of the study is to determine the progression free survival after 12 weeks of bimodal treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent Capecitabine and the anti-HER2 antibody Trastuzumab. Secondary end points include patient's survival, toxicity analysis, quality of life, the correlation of HER2 overexpression and clinical response to Trastuzumab treatment and, finally, the correlation of CA19-9 plasma levels and progression free intervals.

  6. HER-2-PET imaging with Zr-89-trastuzumab in metastatic breast cancer patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Munnink, T. Oude; Dijkers, E.; Hooge, M. Lub-de; Kosterink, J.; Brouwers, A.; de Jong, J. R.; van Dongen, G.; de Vries, E.

    2009-01-01

    1045 Background: Non-invasive diagnostic tools can optimize and evaluate HER2 directed therapy in HER2 positive breast cancer patients. HER2 imaging with (111)In-trastuzumab SPECT showed promising results (Perik et al, J Clin Oncol. 2006). To further optimize HER2 imaging, we developed

  7. Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) survivin is indispensable for survival of HER2 gene-amplified breast cancer cells with primary resistance to HER1/2-targeted therapies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveras-Ferraros, Cristina; Vazquez-Martin, Alejandro; Cufi, Silvia; Torres-Garcia, Violeta Zenobia; Sauri-Nadal, Tamara; Barco, Sonia Del; Lopez-Bonet, Eugeni; Brunet, Joan; Martin-Castillo, Begona; Menendez, Javier A.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Intrinsic trastuzumab resistance occurs in ∼70% of metastatic HER2 + breast carcinomas (BC). → Approximately 15% of early HER2 + BC relapse in spite of treatment with trastuzumab-based therapies. → HER2-independent downstream pro-survival pathways might underlie trastuzumab refractoriness. → Survivin is indispensable for proliferation and survival of HER2 + BC unresponsive to HER2-targeted therapies ab initio. → Survivin antagonists may clinically circumvent the occurrence of de novo resistance to HER2-directed drugs. -- Abstract: Primary resistance of HER2 gene-amplified breast carcinomas (BC) to HER-targeted therapies can be explained in terms of overactive HER2-independent downstream pro-survival pathways. We here confirm that constitutive overexpression of Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) survivin is indispensable for survival of HER2-positive BC cells with intrinsic cross-resistance to multiple HER1/2 inhibitors. The IC 50 values for the HER1/2 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib, erlotinib and lapatinib were up to 40-fold higher in trastuzumab-unresponsive JIMT-1 cells than in trastuzumab-naive SKBR3 cells. ELISA-based and immunoblotting assays demonstrated that trastuzumab-refractory JIMT-1 cells constitutively expressed ∼4 times more survivin protein than trastuzumab-responsive SKBR3 cells. In response to trastuzumab, JIMT-1 cells accumulated ∼10 times more survivin than SKBR3 cells. HER1/2 TKIs failed to down-regulate survivin expression in JIMT-1 cells whereas equimolar doses of HER1/HER2 TKIs drastically depleted survivin protein in SKBR3 cells. ELISA-based detection of histone-associated DNA fragments confirmed that trastuzumab-refractory JIMT-1 cells were intrinsically protected against the apoptotic effects of HER1/2 TKIs. Of note, when we knocked-down survivin expression using siRNA and then added trastuzumab, cell proliferation and colony formation were completely suppressed in JIMT-1 cells. Our current findings may

  8. Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) survivin is indispensable for survival of HER2 gene-amplified breast cancer cells with primary resistance to HER1/2-targeted therapies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveras-Ferraros, Cristina; Vazquez-Martin, Alejandro; Cufi, Silvia; Torres-Garcia, Violeta Zenobia [Unit of Translational Research, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Sauri-Nadal, Tamara; Barco, Sonia Del [Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Lopez-Bonet, Eugeni [Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Department of Anatomical Pathology, Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Brunet, Joan [Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Martin-Castillo, Begona [Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Unit of Clinical Research, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Menendez, Javier A., E-mail: jmenendez@idibgi.org [Unit of Translational Research, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain); Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida de Francia S/N, E-17007 Girona, Catalonia (Spain)

    2011-04-08

    Highlights: {yields} Intrinsic trastuzumab resistance occurs in {approx}70% of metastatic HER2 + breast carcinomas (BC). {yields} Approximately 15% of early HER2 + BC relapse in spite of treatment with trastuzumab-based therapies. {yields} HER2-independent downstream pro-survival pathways might underlie trastuzumab refractoriness. {yields} Survivin is indispensable for proliferation and survival of HER2 + BC unresponsive to HER2-targeted therapies ab initio. {yields} Survivin antagonists may clinically circumvent the occurrence of de novo resistance to HER2-directed drugs. -- Abstract: Primary resistance of HER2 gene-amplified breast carcinomas (BC) to HER-targeted therapies can be explained in terms of overactive HER2-independent downstream pro-survival pathways. We here confirm that constitutive overexpression of Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) survivin is indispensable for survival of HER2-positive BC cells with intrinsic cross-resistance to multiple HER1/2 inhibitors. The IC{sub 50} values for the HER1/2 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib, erlotinib and lapatinib were up to 40-fold higher in trastuzumab-unresponsive JIMT-1 cells than in trastuzumab-naive SKBR3 cells. ELISA-based and immunoblotting assays demonstrated that trastuzumab-refractory JIMT-1 cells constitutively expressed {approx}4 times more survivin protein than trastuzumab-responsive SKBR3 cells. In response to trastuzumab, JIMT-1 cells accumulated {approx}10 times more survivin than SKBR3 cells. HER1/2 TKIs failed to down-regulate survivin expression in JIMT-1 cells whereas equimolar doses of HER1/HER2 TKIs drastically depleted survivin protein in SKBR3 cells. ELISA-based detection of histone-associated DNA fragments confirmed that trastuzumab-refractory JIMT-1 cells were intrinsically protected against the apoptotic effects of HER1/2 TKIs. Of note, when we knocked-down survivin expression using siRNA and then added trastuzumab, cell proliferation and colony formation were completely

  9. Can breast cancer patients with HER2 dual-equivocal tumours be managed as HER2-negative disease?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Yiwei; Chen, Xiaosong; Fei, Xiaochun; Lin, Lin; Wu, Jiayi; Huang, Ou; He, Jianrong; Zhu, Li; Chen, Weiguo; Li, Yafen; Shen, Kunwei

    2018-01-01

    Increasing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunohistochemistry (IHC)/fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) dual-equivocal breast tumours are reported after the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) guideline update. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinico-pathologic characteristics, treatment patterns and disease outcome of these patients with HER2 dual-equivocal tumours. Patients with HER2 IHC 2+ and available FISH results were retrospectively analysed from the Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital. The 2013 ASCO/CAP guideline was applied to define HER2-positive, dual-equivocal and -negative groups. Patient characteristics, systemic treatment patterns and survival were compared among these groups. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction-based assays were applied to test HER2 mRNA expression level. Among 691 patients included, 133 (19.25%) were HER2 positive, 25 (3.62%) were HER2 dual-equivocal and 533 (77.13%) were HER2 negative. Univariate and multivariate analyses stated that HER2 dual-equivocal tumours shared more similarity with HER2-negative tumours, whereas HER2-positive tumours had rather different clinico-pathologic features. HER2 dual-equivocal tumours had similar HER2 mRNA levels compared with HER2-negative tumours (P = 0.26), which were much less compared with HER2-positive breast cancer. Besides, adjuvant systemic treatment patterns were comparable between HER2-negative and dual-equivocal tumours, and none of HER2 dual-equivocal patients received anti-HER2 treatment. There was no survival difference among these three groups (P = 0.43). HER2 dual-equivocal tumours share more similarity with HER2-negative disease in terms of clinico-pathologic features, HER2 mRNA levels, adjuvant systemic treatment patterns and disease outcome, which deserves further clinical evaluation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A gene-protein assay for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2: brightfield tricolor visualization of HER2 protein, the HER2 gene, and chromosome 17 centromere (CEN17 in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissue sections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nitta Hiroaki

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The eligibility of breast cancer patients for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2-directed therapies is determined by the HER2 gene amplification and/or HER2 protein overexpression status of the breast tumor as determined by in situ hybridization (ISH or immunohistochemistry (IHC, respectively. Our objective was to combine the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA-approved HER2 & chromosome 17 centromere (CEN17 brightfield ISH (BISH and HER2 IHC assays into a single automated HER2 gene-protein assay allowing simultaneous detection of all three targets in a single tissue section. Methods The HER2 gene-protein assay was optimized using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE samples of the xenograft tumors MCF7 [HER2 negative (non-amplified gene, protein negative] and Calu-3 [HER2 positive (amplified gene, protein positive]. HER2 IHC was performed using a rabbit monoclonal anti-HER2 antibody (clone 4B5 and a conventional 3,3'-diaminobenzidine IHC detection. The HER2 & CEN17 BISH signals were visualized using horseradish peroxidase-based silver and alkaline phosphatase-based red detection systems, respectively with a cocktail of 2,4-dinitrophenyl-labeled HER2 and digoxigenin-labeled CEN17 probes. The performance of the gene-protein assay on tissue microarray slides containing 189 randomly selected FFPE clinical breast cancer tissue cores was compared to that of the separate HER2 IHC and HER2 & CEN17 BISH assays. Results HER2 protein detection was optimal when the HER2 IHC protocol was used before (rather than after the BISH protocol. The sequential use of HER2 IHC and HER2 & CEN17 BISH detection steps on FFPE xenograft tumor sections appropriately co-localized the HER2 protein, HER2 gene, and CEN17 signals after mitigating the silver background staining by using a naphthol phosphate-containing hybridization buffer for the hybridization step. The HER2 protein and HER2 gene status obtained using the multiplex HER2 gene

  11. Prognostic value of HER2 gene amplification detected by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) in metastatic breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todorović-Raković, Natasa; Jovanović, Danica; Nesković-Konstantinović, Zora; Nikolić-Vukosavljević, Dragica

    2007-06-01

    After so many years of research, clinical value of HER2 (Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is unclear. Perhaps the main reason is variability of testing methods that produce controversial results. There is a lack of studies regarding prognostic value of CISH especially in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) when risk evaluation is based on different parameters than for primary breast cancer. Aim of this study was to compare prognostic relevance of HER2 status in MBC tested by two different methods i.e. immunohistochemistry (IHC) and chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH). HER2 status of the same group of 107 MBC patients was determined by IHC (protein overexpression) and by CISH (gene amplification). HER2 results obtained by IHC and CISH showed significant correlation, beside the existence of discrepancies. Beside the significant correlation in two methods, there was a difference in prognostic values of compared methods during the course of metastatic disease. There was a significant difference in progression-free interval (PFI) between HER2 non-amplified and HER2 amplified cases determined by CISH, in postmenopausal subgroup and node-positive subgroup, but no significant difference for IHC stratified MBC patients. CISH seems to be accurate and more informative method than IHC regarding prognostic value of HER2 in metastatic breast cancer.

  12. Developing Anti-HER2 Vaccines: Breast Cancer Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Awadhi, Aydah; Murray, James Lee; Ibrahim, Nuhad K

    2018-04-25

    Breast cancer accounts for more than one million new cases annually and is the leading cause of death in women globally. HER2 overexpression induces cellular and humoral immune responses against the HER2 protein and is associated with higher tumour proliferation rates. Trastuzumab-based therapies are effectively and widely used as standard of care in HER2-amplified/overexpressed breast cancer patients; one cited mechanism of action is the induction of passive immunity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against malignant breast cancer cells. These findings drove the efforts to generate antigen-specific immunotherapy to trigger the patient's immune system to target HER2-overexpressing tumour cells, which led to the development of various vaccines against the HER2 antigen. This manuscript discusses the various anti-HER2 vaccine formulations and strategies and their potential role in the metastatic and adjuvant settings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 UICC.

  13. Gene Expression Analyses of HER-2/neu and ESR1 in Patients with Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omid Kheyri Nadergoli

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Background: Her-2 and ESR1 genes, that interact in the cell signaling pathway, are the most important molecular markers of breast cancer, which have been amplified or overexpressed in 30% and 70%, respectively. This study was performed to evaluate the gene expression levels of Her-2 and ESR1 genes in tumor cells and its adjacent normal tissue of breast cancer patients and compared them whit clinical-pathological features. Methods: In total, 80 tissue specimens from 40 patients, with an average age of 48.47 years, were examined by Real-time PCR technique, and ultimately evaluated the expression level of Her-2 and ESR1genes. The data were analyzed by REST 2009 V2.0.13 statistical software. Results: HER2 and ESR1 overexpression was identified in 19 (48% and 12 (30% of 40 patients respectively, which was higher and lower than that recorded in international statistics, respectively. ESR1 overexpression was associated with Stage 3A and lymph node involvement 2 (N2 (P = 0.04 and P = 0.047, respectively. No significant correlation was observed between the expression of HER2 and ESR1 and other clinical-pathological features, however, the relative differences were identified in the expression levels of genes between main group and groups that were classified according to the clinical-pathological features and age. Conclusions: Overexpression of Her-2 and ESR1 genes in the patients of our study are higher and lower than international statistics, respectively, indicating the differences in genetic, environmental and ethnic factors that involved in the developing of breast cancer.

  14. Survival benefit of anti-HER2 therapy after whole-brain radiotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer patients with brain metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qian; Chen, Jian; Yu, Xiaoli; Cai, Gang; Yang, Zhaozhi; Cao, Lu; Hu, Chaosu; Guo, Xiaomao; Sun, Jing; Chen, Jiayi

    2016-09-01

    We aimed to assess the survival benefit of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients with brain metastasis (BM) after whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in combination with systemic treatments, especially anti-HER2 therapy. This retrospective study analyzed the overall survival (OS) of 60 HER2-positive breast cancer patients with BM after WBRT in combination with systemic treatments. Among them, 42 patients received chemotherapy while 18 patients did not receive after WBRT. With regard to anti-HER2 therapy, after WBRT, 17 patients received anti-HER2 treatment without prior adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy, 7 patients received anti-HER2 treatment with prior adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy, and 36 patients did not receive further anti-HER2 treatment. All patients were followed up regularly until January 23, 2013. The median OS of patients with BM was 12 months. Patients who received anti-HER2 therapy and chemotherapy after WBRT had significantly better survival compared with patients who did not receive further treatment. Patients who received anti-HER2 treatment after WBRT but did not receive adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy for early breast cancer had better OS, followed by patients who received anti-HER2 agent both in adjuvant treatment and after WBRT and patients who did not receive anti-HER2 treatment. Multivariate analysis showed that Karnofsky Performance Status, control of extracranial metastases, chemotherapy after WBRT, and anti-HER2 therapy combined with WBRT were all independent predictors for OS. Both chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapy after WBRT could improve OS. Moreover, patients without prior exposure to adjuvant anti-HER2 treatment may have survival benefit superior to those of patients with prior exposure.

  15. Amplification of HER2 is a marker for global genomic instability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ellsworth, Rachel E; Ellsworth, Darrell L; Patney, Heather L; Deyarmin, Brenda; Love, Brad; Hooke, Jeffrey A; Shriver, Craig D

    2008-01-01

    Genomic alterations of the proto-oncogene c-erbB-2 (HER-2/neu) are associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The variable clinical outcomes seen in patients with similar HER2 status, given similar treatments, suggests that the effects of amplification of HER2 can be influenced by other genetic changes. To assess the broader genomic implications of structural changes at the HER2 locus, we investigated relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status in patients with invasive breast cancer. HER2 status was determined using the PathVysion ® assay. DNA was extracted after laser microdissection from the 181 paraffin-embedded HER2 amplified (n = 39) or HER2 negative (n = 142) tumor specimens with sufficient tumor available to perform molecular analysis. Allelic imbalance (AI) was assessed using a panel of microsatellite markers representing 26 chromosomal regions commonly altered in breast cancer. Student t-tests and partial correlations were used to investigate relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status. The frequency of AI was significantly higher (P < 0.005) in HER2 amplified (27%) compared to HER2 negative tumors (19%). Samples with HER2 amplification showed significantly higher levels of AI (P < 0.05) at chromosomes 11q23, 16q22-q24 and 18q21. Partial correlations including ER status and tumor grade supported associations between HER2 status and alterations at 11q13.1, 16q22-q24 and 18q21. The poor prognosis associated with HER2 amplification may be attributed to global genomic instability as cells with high frequencies of chromosomal alterations have been associated with increased cellular proliferation and aggressive behavior. In addition, high levels of DNA damage may render tumor cells refractory to treatment. In addition, specific alterations at chromosomes 11q13, 16q22-q24, and 18q21, all of which have been associated with aggressive tumor behavior, may serve as genetic modifiers to HER2

  16. Preference for subcutaneous or intravenous administration of trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer (PrefHer)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pivot, Xavier; Gligorov, Joseph; Müller, Volkmar

    2013-01-01

    Subcutaneous trastuzumab has shown non-inferior efficacy and a similar pharmacokinetic and safety profile when compared with intravenous trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. We assessed patient preference for either subcutaneous or intravenous trastuzumab...

  17. Discordance Rate of HER2 Status in Primary Gastric Carcinomas and Synchronous Lymph Node Metastases: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis

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    Antonio Ieni

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 gene amplification is essential in order to identify those patients affected by advanced gastric cancer who may benefit from Trastuzumab targeted therapy. Materials and Methods: With the aim to investigate the concordance rate in HER2 status between primary gastric carcinoma (GC and synchronous lymphnode metastases, we investigated HER2 status in a cohort of 108 surgical formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens of GC and matched synchronous metastatic lymph nodes collected from three different units of Anatomic Pathology in southern of Italy. Fleiss-Cohen weighted k statistics were used to assess the concordance rate of HER2 status. Results: HER2 amplification was observed in 17% of primary GCs and the overall concordance rate with corresponding nodal metastases was 90.74%. Changes in HER2 status between primary GC and matched synchronous metastases were evidenced in 10 (9.26% cases. Of these, 6 cases were HER2 amplified in the primary GC and not amplified in the metastases, while 4 were HER2 not amplified in the primary tumour and amplified in the lymph node metastases. Conclusions: Although at present the simultaneous determination of HER2 in advanced gastric cancer and corresponding metastatic lymph nodes is not mandatory, the possibility that the synchronous metastases of GC have a different HER2 status from that of the primary tumour is of remarkable significance; Indeed this may have influence on the therapeutic management and prognosis of the patients.

  18. Clinical significance of serum and urinary HER2/neu protein levels in primary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

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    Ozgur Arikan

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: We aimed to compare serum and urinary HER2/neu levels between healthy control group and patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Additionally, we evaluated relationship of HER2/neu levels with tumor stage, grade, recurrence and progression. Materials and Methods: Fourty-four patients with primary non-muscle invasive bladder tumors (Group 2 and 40 healthy control group (Group 1 were included the study. Blood and urinary samples were collected from all patients and HER2/neu levels were measured by ELISA method. Blood and urinary HER2/neu levels and additionally, ratio of urinary HER2/neu levels to urinary creatinine levels were recorded. Demographic data and tumor characteristics were recorded. Results: Mean serum HER2/neu levels were similar between two groups and statistically significant difference wasn't observed. Urinary HER2/neu levels were significantly higher in group 2 than group 1. Ratio of urinary HER2/neu to urinary creatinine was significantly higher in group 2 than group 1, (p=0,021. Serum and urinary HER2/ neu levels were not associated with tumor stage, grade, recurrence and progression while ratio of urinary HER2/neu to urinary creatinin levels were significantly higher in high-grade tumors. HER2/neu, the sensitivity of the test was found to be 20.5%, and the specificity was 97.5%, also for the urinary HER2/neu/urinary creatinine ratio, the sensitivity and specificity of the test were found to be 31.8% and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Urinary HER2/neu and ratio of urinary creatinine urine were significantly higher in patients with bladder cancer compared to healthy subjects. Large series and controlled studies are needed for use as a tumor marker.

  19. Anti-HER2 CD4(+) T-helper type 1 response is a novel immune correlate to pathologic response following neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Jashodeep; Berk, Erik; Xu, Shuwen; Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth; Rosemblit, Cinthia; Lowenfeld, Lea; Goodman, Noah; Lewis, David A; Zhang, Paul J; Fisher, Carla; Roses, Robert E; DeMichele, Angela; Czerniecki, Brian J

    2015-05-23

    A progressive loss of circulating anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2/neu (HER2) CD4(+) T-helper type 1 (Th1) immune responses is observed in HER2(pos)-invasive breast cancer (IBC) patients relative to healthy controls. Pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy (T + C) is associated with decreased recurrence and improved prognosis. We examined differences in anti-HER2 Th1 responses between pCR and non-pCR patients to identify modifiable immune correlates to pathologic response following neoadjuvant T + C. Anti-HER2 Th1 responses in 87 HER2(pos)-IBC patients were examined using peripheral blood mononuclear cells pulsed with 6 HER2-derived class II peptides via IFN-γ ELISPOT. Th1 response metrics were anti-HER2 responsivity, repertoire (number of reactive peptides), and cumulative response across 6 peptides (spot-forming cells [SFC]/10(6) cells). Anti-HER2 Th1 responses of non-pCR patients (n = 4) receiving adjuvant HER2-pulsed type 1-polarized dendritic cell (DC1) vaccination were analyzed pre- and post-immunization. Depressed anti-HER2 Th1 responses observed in treatment-naïve HER2(pos)-IBC patients (n = 22) did not improve globally in T + C-treated HER2(pos)-IBC patients (n = 65). Compared with adjuvant T + C receipt, neoadjuvant T + C - utilized in 61.5 % - was associated with higher anti-HER2 Th1 repertoire (p = 0.048). While pCR (n = 16) and non-pCR (n = 24) patients did not differ substantially in demographic/clinical characteristics, pCR patients demonstrated dramatically higher anti-HER2 Th1 responsivity (94 % vs. 33 %, p = 0.0002), repertoire (3.3 vs. 0.3 peptides, p vs. 22.4 SFC/10(6), p non-pCR patients. After controlling for potential confounders, anti-HER2 Th1 responsivity remained independently associated with pathologic response (odds ratio 8.82, p = 0.016). This IFN-γ(+) immune disparity was mediated by anti-HER2 CD4(+)T-bet(+)IFN-γ(+) (i.e., Th1) - not CD4(+)GATA-3(+)IFN-γ(+) (i.e., Th2

  20. Circulating HER2 DNA after trastuzumab treatment predicts survival and response in breast cancer

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    Sorensen, Boe S; Mortensen, Lise S; Andersen, Jørn

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Only a subset of breast cancer patients responds to the HER2 inhibitor trastuzumab, and methods to identify responders are needed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 28 patients with metastatic breast cancer that had amplified human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) genes...... in their primary tumour and were treated with a combination of trastuzumab and chemotherapy. Plasma was collected and amplification of the HER2 gene in circulating DNA and the amounts of the extracellular domain (ECD) of HER2 were measured just before first treatment (n=28) and just before second treatment three...... response (p=0.02), and overall survival (p=0.05). HER2 ECD kinetics did not correlate to clinical data. CONCLUSION: We suggest that a decrease in HER2 gene amplification in the plasma predicts a more favourable response to trastuzumab....

  1. Immunohistochemistry and alternative FISH testing in breast cancer with HER2 equivocal amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agersborg, Sally; Mixon, Christopher; Nguyen, Thanh; Aithal, Sramila; Sudarsanam, Sucha; Blocker, Forrest; Weiss, Lawrence; Gasparini, Robert; Jiang, Shiping; Chen, Wayne; Hess, Gregory; Albitar, Maher

    2018-03-22

    While HER2 testing is well established in directing appropriate treatment for breast cancer, a small percentage of cases show equivocal results by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Alternative probes may be used in equivocal cases. We present a single community-based institution's experience in further evaluating these cases. Between 2014 and 2016, 4255 samples were submitted for HER2 amplification testing by alternative probes, TP53, RAI1, and RARA. Of the patients tested by FISH, 505/3908 (12.9%) also had IHC data. Most (73.9%) FISH equivocal cases remained equivocal after IHC testing. However, 50.5% of equivocal cases were classified as HER2 amplified by alternative probes. Most cases were positive by more than one probe: 78% of positive cases by RAI1 and 73.9% by TP53. There was a significant difference between IHC and FISH alternative testing (p alternative FISH testing. Available data showed that 41% of patients were treated with palbociclib and were positive by alternative FISH. The prevalence of double HER2 equivocal cases and the discrepancy between IHC and alternative FISH testing suggest that FISH alternative testing using both RAI1 and TP53 probes is necessary for conclusive classification. Because almost half of FISH equivocal cases converted to HER2 amplified upon alternative testing, clinical studies to determine the benefit of anti-HER2 therapy in these patients are urgently needed.

  2. Interaction of CDCP1 with HER2 Enhances HER2-Driven Tumorigenesis and Promotes Trastuzumab Resistance in Breast Cancer

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    Abdullah Alajati

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the molecular pathways that contribute to the aggressive behavior of HER2-positive breast cancers may aid in the development of novel therapeutic interventions. Here, we show that CDCP1 and HER2 are frequently co-overexpressed in metastatic breast tumors and associated with poor patient prognosis. HER2 and CDCP1 co-overexpression leads to increased transformation ability, cell migration, and tumor formation in vivo, and enhanced HER2 activation and downstream signaling in different breast cancer cell lines. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that CDCP1 binds to HER2 through its intracellular domain, thereby increasing HER2 interaction with the non-receptor tyrosine kinase c-SRC (SRC, leading to trastuzumab resistance. Taken together, our findings establish that CDCP1 is a modulator of HER2 signaling and a biomarker for the stratification of breast cancer patients with poor prognosis. Our results also provide a rationale for therapeutic targeting of CDCP1 in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.

  3. Salivary expression of soluble HER2 in breast cancer patients with positive and negative HER2 status

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    Laidi F

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Fatna Laidi,1 Amal Bouziane,2 Amina Lakhdar,3 Samira Khabouze,3 Brahim Rhrab,3 Fatima Zaoui1 1Oral Biomechanics and Biotechnology Research Unit, Faculty of Dental Medicine, 2Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Biostatistical, Clinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between salivary concentration of the soluble fragment of the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor protein and its status in mammary tissues. Methods: This case-control study was done in 27 breast cancer patients with no visible metastatic disease treated at the gynecology service, Maternity Souissi Hospital, Rabat, Morocco. Two groups were selected, ie, patients with positive and negative HER2 status in mammary tissue. The salivary HER2 protein concentration was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The salivary HER2 concentration was compared between the HER2-positive and HER2-negative groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. A P-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: No statistically significant difference in salivary HER2 protein expression was found between the case and control groups. There was also no significant difference in clinical characteristics according to positive and negative HER2 status (P>0.05, except for the progesterone hormone receptor which was statistically significant in both the case and control groups (P=0.047. Conclusion: According to our data, salivary expression of the HER2 receptor may not be a reliable alternative to tissue assessment. Keywords: breast cancer, HER2, saliva, diagnosis

  4. Label-free LC-MS analysis of HER2+ breast cancer cell line response to HER2 inhibitor treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Luca, Alessio; Henry, Michael; Meleady, Paula; O'Connor, Robert

    2015-08-04

    Human epidermal growth-factor receptor (HER)-2 is overexpressed in 25 % of breast-cancers and is associated with an aggressive form of the disease with significantly shortened disease free and overall survival. In recent years, the use of HER2-targeted therapies, monoclonal-antibodies and small molecule tyrosine-kinase inhibitors has significantly improved the clinical outcome for HER2-positive breast-cancer patients. However, only a fraction of HER2-amplified patients will respond to therapy and the use of these treatments is often limited by tumour drug insensitivity or resistance and drug toxicities. Currently there is no way to identify likely responders or rational combinations with the potential to improve HER2-focussed treatment outcome. In order to further understand the molecular mechanisms of treatment-response with HER2-inhibitors, we used a highly-optimised and reproducible quantitative label-free LC-MS strategy to characterize the proteomes of HER2-overexpressing breast-cancer cell-lines (SKBR3, BT474 and HCC1954) in response to drug-treatment with HER2-inhibitors (lapatinib, neratinib or afatinib). Following 12 ours treatment with different HER2-inhibitors in the BT474 cell-line; compared to the untreated cells, 16 proteins changed significantly in abundance following lapatinib treatment (1 μM), 21 proteins changed significantly following neratinib treatment (150 nM) and 38 proteins changed significantly following afatinib treatment (150 nM). Whereas following 24 hours treatment with neratinib (200 nM) 46 proteins changed significantly in abundance in the HCC1954 cell-line and 23 proteins in the SKBR3 cell-line compared to the untreated cells. Analysing the data we found that, proteins like trifunctional-enzyme subunit-alpha, mitochondrial; heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein-R and lamina-associated polypeptide 2, isoform alpha were up-regulated whereas heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein was down-regulated in 3 or more comparisons. This proteomic

  5. Correlation between quantitative HER-2 protein expression and risk for brain metastases in HER-2+ advanced breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab-containing therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchnowska, Renata; Biernat, Wojciech; Szostakiewicz, Barbara; Sperinde, Jeff; Piette, Fanny; Haddad, Mojgan; Paquet, Agnes; Lie, Yolanda; Czartoryska-Arłukowicz, Bogumiła; Wysocki, Piotr; Jankowski, Tomasz; Radecka, Barbara; Foszczynska-Kłoda, Małgorzata; Litwiniuk, Maria; Debska, Sylwia; Weidler, Jodi; Huang, Weidong; Buyse, Marc; Bates, Michael; Jassem, Jacek

    2012-01-01

    Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2+ breast cancer are at particularly high risk for brain metastases; however, the biological basis is not fully understood. Using a novel HER-2 assay, we investigated the correlation between quantitative HER-2 expression in primary breast cancers and the time to brain metastasis (TTBM) in HER-2+ advanced breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab. The study group included 142 consecutive patients who were administered trastuzumab-based therapy for HER-2+ metastatic breast cancer. HER-2/neu gene copy number was quantified as the HER-2/centromeric probe for chromosome 17 (CEP17) ratio by central laboratory fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). HER-2 protein was quantified as total HER-2 protein expression (H2T) by the HERmark® assay (Monogram Biosciences, Inc., South San Francisco, CA) in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples. HER-2 variables were correlated with clinical features and TTBM was measured from the initiation of trastuzumab-containing therapy. A higher H2T level (continuous variable) was correlated with shorter TTBM, whereas HER-2 amplification by FISH and a continuous HER-2/CEP17 ratio were not predictive (p = .013, .28, and .25, respectively). In the subset of patients that was centrally determined by FISH to be HER-2+, an above-the-median H2T level was significantly associated with a shorter TTBM (hazard ratio, [HR], 2.4; p = .005), whereas this was not true for the median HER-2/CEP17 ratio by FISH (p = .4). Correlation between a continuous H2T level and TTBM was confirmed on multivariate analysis (HR, 3.3; p = .024). These data reveal a strong relationship between the quantitative HER-2 protein expression level and the risk for brain relapse in HER-2+ advanced breast cancer patients. Consequently, quantitative assessment of HER-2 protein expression may inform and facilitate refinements in therapeutic treatment strategies for selected subpopulations of patients in this

  6. Use of chemotherapy plus a monoclonal antibody against HER2 for metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses HER2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slamon, D J; Leyland-Jones, B; Shak, S; Fuchs, H; Paton, V; Bajamonde, A; Fleming, T; Eiermann, W; Wolter, J; Pegram, M; Baselga, J; Norton, L

    2001-03-15

    The HER2 gene, which encodes the growth factor receptor HER2, is amplified and HER2 is overexpressed in 25 to 30 percent of breast cancers, increasing the aggressiveness of the tumor. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody against HER2, in women with metastatic breast cancer that overexpressed HER2. We randomly assigned 234 patients to receive standard chemotherapy alone and 235 patients to receive standard chemotherapy plus trastuzumab. Patients who had not previously received adjuvant (postoperative) therapy with an anthracycline were treated with doxorubicin (or epirubicin in the case of 36 women) and cyclophosphamide alone (138 women) or with trastuzumab (143 women). Patients who had previously received adjuvant anthracycline were treated with paclitaxel alone (96 women) or paclitaxel with trastuzumab (92 women). The addition of trastuzumab to chemotherapy was associated with a longer time to disease progression (median, 7.4 vs. 4.6 months; P<0.001), a higher rate of objective response (50 percent vs. 32 percent, P<0.001), a longer duration of response (median, 9.1 vs. 6.1 months; P<0.001), a lower rate of death at 1 year (22 percent vs. 33 percent, P=0.008), longer survival (median survival, 25.1 vs. 20.3 months; P=0.01), and a 20 percent reduction in the risk of death. The most important adverse event was cardiac dysfunction of New York Heart Association class III or IV, which occurred in 27 percent of the group given an anthracycline, cyclophosphamide, and trastuzumab; 8 percent of the group given an anthracycline and cyclophosphamide alone; 13 percent of the group given paclitaxel and trastuzumab; and 1 percent of the group given paclitaxel alone. Although the cardiotoxicity was potentially severe and, in some cases, life-threatening, the symptoms generally improved with standard medical management. Trastuzumab increases the clinical benefit of first-line chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer that

  7. Reciprocal regulation of annexin A2 and EGFR with Her-2 in Her-2 negative and herceptin-resistant breast cancer.

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    Praveenkumar K Shetty

    Full Text Available Alternative survival pathways are commonly seen to be upregulated upon inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK, including Her-2. It is established that treatment with Herceptin leads to selective overexpression and activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR and Src which further contributes to oncogenesis in Herceptin resistant and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC patients. Here, we show a co-regulated upregulation in the expression of Annexin A2 (AnxA2, a known substrate of Src and one of the regulators of EGFR receptor endocytosis, in Herceptin resistant and Her-2 negative breast cancer. Immunohistochemical expression analysis revealed a reciprocal regulation between Her-2 and AnxA2 in breast cancer clinical samples as well as in cell lines as confirmed by protein and RNA analysis. The siRNA and Herceptin mediated downregulation/inhibition of Her-2 in Her-2 amplified cells induced AnxA2 expression and membrane translocation. In this study we report a possible involvement of AnxA2 in maintaining constitutively activated EGFR downstream signaling intermediates and hence in cell proliferation, migration and viability. This effect was consistent in Herceptin resistant JIMT-1 cells as well as in Her-2 negative breast cancer. The siRNA mediated AnxA2 downregulation leads to increased apoptosis, decreased cell viability and migration. Our studies further indicate the role of AnxA2 in EGFR-Src membrane bound signaling complex and ligand induced activation of downstream signaling pathways. Targeting this AnxA2 dependent positive regulation of EGFR signaling cascade may be of therapeutic value in Her-2 negative breast cancer.

  8. Assessment and prognostic analysis of EGFR mutations or/and HER2 overexpression in Uygur's Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Hongli; Du, Guoli; Liu, Zhonghua; Bao, Jianling; Yu, Qin; Jia, Chunli; Liang, Xuelin; Shan, Li

    2015-01-01

    The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and human epidermal growth factor receptor HER-2/neu (HER2) have been established roles in the signal transduction pathways leading to cell growth and differentiation. The present study focus on the significance of EGFR mutations combined with HER2 overexpression on survival outcomes in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer patients in Uygur population. A total of 111 consecutive Uygurods: A total of 111 consecutive Cell Lung Cancer under went lung Cell Lung biopsy or surgery at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xin Jiang Medical University between March 2009 and January 2013 were included in this retrospective study. All the patients included had received gefitinib 250 mg once daily. The HER2 expression were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining with score of membranous staining being 0 = none, 1 = weak, 2 = 10-30% cells, 3≥30% cells stained, and Real-time PCR techniques were conducted to detect mutations of EGFR through 21 kinds of human EGFR gene mutation detection kits. A retrospective review of the medical records was analyzed to determine the correlation between the presence of EGFR mutations combined with HER2 overexpression and clinicopathological factors. The overall rate of EGFR mutation was 10.81% (n = 12), which mainly involved exons 19 (83.33%, n = 10), 21 (16.67%, n = 2). The overall rate of HER2 overexpression was 21.62% (n = 24). EGFR mutation combined with HER2 overexpression analysis was performed in 111 patients, with an overall rate of 5.41% (n = 6). Median progression-free survival and overall survival were significantly longer in the EGFR mutations group than in the wild type group (PFS: 10.0±1.5 versus 3.8±1.4 months, P = 0.000; OS: 27.3±2.9 versus 19.1±4.7 months, P = 0.000). The ORR in patients with HER2 overexpression was 29.17%, and 13.80% in those patients with HER2 negative, but no significant difference (P = 0.121). The median PFS and OS in HER2 positive group showed no significant

  9. Neratinib, A Novel HER2-Targeted Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Shruti Rakesh; Mishra, Prasun; Abraham, Jame

    2016-10-01

    HER2 gene amplification and receptor overexpression is identified in 20% to 25% of human breast cancers. Use of targeted therapy for HER2-amplified breast cancer has led to improvements in disease-free and overall survival in this subset of patients. Neratinib is an oral pan HER inhibitor, that irreversibly inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or HER1), HER2, and HER4, which leads to reduced phosphorylation and activation of downstream signaling pathways. Neratinib is currently being tested in a number of clinical trials for its safety and efficacy in lung cancer, and colorectal, bladder, and breast cancers. In this review we discuss the available phase I, II, and III data for use of neratinib in the metastatic, adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and extended adjuvant settings along with the ongoing clinical trials of neratinib in breast cancer. We also elaborate on the side effect profile of this relatively new drug and provide guidelines for its use in clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Activating HER2 mutations in HER2 gene amplification negative breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bose, Ron; Kavuri, Shyam M; Searleman, Adam C; Shen, Wei; Shen, Dong; Koboldt, Daniel C; Monsey, John; Goel, Nicholas; Aronson, Adam B; Li, Shunqiang; Ma, Cynthia X; Ding, Li; Mardis, Elaine R; Ellis, Matthew J

    2013-02-01

    Data from 8 breast cancer genome-sequencing projects identified 25 patients with HER2 somatic mutations in cancers lacking HER2 gene amplification. To determine the phenotype of these mutations, we functionally characterized 13 HER2 mutations using in vitro kinase assays, protein structure analysis, cell culture, and xenograft experiments. Seven of these mutations are activating mutations, including G309A, D769H, D769Y, V777L, P780ins, V842I, and R896C. HER2 in-frame deletion 755-759, which is homologous to EGF receptor (EGFR) exon 19 in-frame deletions, had a neomorphic phenotype with increased phosphorylation of EGFR or HER3. L755S produced lapatinib resistance, but was not an activating mutation in our experimental systems. All of these mutations were sensitive to the irreversible kinase inhibitor, neratinib. These findings show that HER2 somatic mutation is an alternative mechanism to activate HER2 in breast cancer and they validate HER2 somatic mutations as drug targets for breast cancer treatment. We show that the majority of HER2 somatic mutations in breast cancer patients are activating mutations that likely drive tumorigenesis. Several patients had mutations that are resistant to the reversible HER2 inhibitor lapatinib, but are sensitive to the irreversible HER2 inhibitor, neratinib. Our results suggest that patients with HER2 mutation–positive breast cancers could benefit from existing HER2-targeted drugs.

  11. HER2 signaling pathway activation and response of breast cancer cells to HER2-targeting agents is dependent strongly on the 3D microenvironment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weigelt, Britta; Lo, Alvin T; Park, Catherine C; Gray, Joe W; Bissell, Mina J

    2009-07-27

    Development of effective and durable breast cancer treatment strategies requires a mechanistic understanding of the influence of the microenvironment on response. Previous work has shown that cellular signaling pathways and cell morphology are dramatically influenced by three-dimensional (3D) cultures as opposed to traditional two-dimensional (2D) monolayers. Here, we compared 2D and 3D culture models to determine the impact of 3D architecture and extracellular matrix (ECM) on HER2 signaling and on the response of HER2-amplified breast cancer cell lines to the HER2-targeting agents Trastuzumab, Pertuzumab and Lapatinib. We show that the response of the HER2-amplified AU565, SKBR3 and HCC1569 cells to these anti-HER2 agents was highly dependent on whether the cells were cultured in 2D monolayer or 3D laminin-rich ECM gels. Inhibition of {beta}1 integrin, a major cell-ECM receptor subunit, significantly increased the sensitivity of the HER2-amplified breast cancer cell lines to the humanized monoclonal antibodies Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab when grown in a 3D environment. Finally, in the absence of inhibitors, 3D cultures had substantial impact on HER2 downstream signaling and induced a switch between PI3K-AKT- and RAS-MAPKpathway activation in all cell lines studied, including cells lacking HER2 amplification and overexpression. Our data provide direct evidence that breast cancer cells are able to rapidly adapt to different environments and signaling cues by activating alternative pathways that regulate proliferation and cell survival, events that may play a significant role in the acquisition of resistance to targeted therapies.

  12. Amplification of HER2 is a marker for global genomic instability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Love Brad

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic alterations of the proto-oncogene c-erbB-2 (HER-2/neu are associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The variable clinical outcomes seen in patients with similar HER2 status, given similar treatments, suggests that the effects of amplification of HER2 can be influenced by other genetic changes. To assess the broader genomic implications of structural changes at the HER2 locus, we investigated relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status in patients with invasive breast cancer. Methods HER2 status was determined using the PathVysion® assay. DNA was extracted after laser microdissection from the 181 paraffin-embedded HER2 amplified (n = 39 or HER2 negative (n = 142 tumor specimens with sufficient tumor available to perform molecular analysis. Allelic imbalance (AI was assessed using a panel of microsatellite markers representing 26 chromosomal regions commonly altered in breast cancer. Student t-tests and partial correlations were used to investigate relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status. Results The frequency of AI was significantly higher (P P Conclusion The poor prognosis associated with HER2 amplification may be attributed to global genomic instability as cells with high frequencies of chromosomal alterations have been associated with increased cellular proliferation and aggressive behavior. In addition, high levels of DNA damage may render tumor cells refractory to treatment. In addition, specific alterations at chromosomes 11q13, 16q22-q24, and 18q21, all of which have been associated with aggressive tumor behavior, may serve as genetic modifiers to HER2 amplification. These data not only improve our understanding of HER in breast pathogenesis but may allow more accurate risk profiles and better treatment options to be developed.

  13. Characterizing Metastatic HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer at the CDH1 Haplotype

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caggiari, Laura; Miolo, Gianmaria; Buonadonna, Angela; Basile, Debora; Santeufemia, Davide A.; De Zorzi, Mariangela; Fornasarig, Mara; Alessandrini, Lara; Lo Re, Giovanni; Puglisi, Fabio; Steffan, Agostino

    2017-01-01

    The CDH1 gene, coding for the E-cadherin protein, is linked to gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility and tumor invasion. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is amplified and overexpressed in a portion of GC. HER2 is an established therapeutic target in metastatic GC (mGC). Trastuzumab, in combination with various chemotherapeutic agents, is a standard treatment for these tumors leading to outcome improvement. Unfortunately, the survival benefit is limited to a fraction of patients. The aim of this study was to improve knowledge of the HER2 and the E-cadherin alterations in the context of GC to characterize subtypes of patients that could better benefit from targeted therapy. An association between the P7-CDH1 haplotype, including two polymorphisms (rs16260A-rs1801552T) and a subset of HER2-positive mGC with better prognosis was observed. Results indicated the potential evaluation of CDH1 haplotypes in mGC to stratify patients that will benefit from trastuzumab-based treatments. Moreover, data may have implications to understanding the HER2 and the E-cadherin interactions in vivo and in response to treatments. PMID:29295527

  14. (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET imaging and HER2 specificity of brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurihara, Hiroaki; Hamada, Akinobu; Yoshida, Masayuki; Shimma, Schuichi; Hashimoto, Jun; Yonemori, Kan; Tani, Hitomi; Miyakita, Yasuji; Kanayama, Yousuke; Wada, Yasuhiro; Kodaira, Makoto; Yunokawa, Mayu; Yamamoto, Harukaze; Shimizu, Chikako; Takahashi, Kazuhiro; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi; Fujiwara, Yasuhiro; Tamura, Kenji

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether brain metastases from HER2-positive breast cancer could be detected noninvasively using positron emission tomography (PET) with (64)Cu-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-trastuzumab. PET was performed on five patients with brain metastases from HER2-positive breast cancer, at 24 or 48 h after the injection of approximately 130 MBq of the probe (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab. Radioactivity in metastatic brain tumors was evaluated based on PET images in five patients. Autoradiography, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis were performed in one surgical case to confirm HER2 specificity of (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab. Metastatic brain lesions could be visualized by (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET in all of five cases, which might indicated that trastuzumab passes through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The HER2 specificity of (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab was demonstrated in one patient by autoradiography, immunohistochemistry, and LC-MS/MS. Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET could be a potential noninvasive procedure for serial identification of metastatic brain lesions in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. UMIN000004170.

  15. Quantification of Cell-Free HER-2 DNA in Plasma from Breast Cancer Patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Patricia Diana; Andersen, Rikke Fredslund; Pallisgaard, Niels

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to quantify the free-circulating plasma HER-2 DNA (cfHER-2 DNA) and to assess the ability of analysis to discriminate between patients with primary breast cancer and healthy controls in order to detect metastatic recurrence in comparison with serum HER-2 protein...... and also HER-2 gene amplification. The study population consisted of 100 patients with primary breast cancer and 50 healthy female donors. An additional 22 patients with metastases were subsequently included. cfHER-2 DNA was quantified with a quantitative PCR method together with a reference gene. RESULTS......: Using a cut-off of 2.5 for the ratio of the cfHER-2 DNA/reference gene, three (of 15) tissue HER-2-positive patients had a ratio >2.5 prior to the detection of metastatic disease. In the post-metastatic/pre-chemotherapy setting, 11 (of 23) tissue HER-2-positive patients with metastases had a ratio >2...

  16. CORRELATION BETWEEN SERUM HER-2 ONCOPROTEIN AND PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Peng Yuan; Bing-he Xu; Da-tong Chu

    2004-01-01

    Objective To detect serum HER-2 oncoprotein levels in patients with operable and metastatic breast cancers, and to study the correlations between serum HER-2 level and lymph node status as well as other clinical parameters.Methods A total of 120 women were studied consisting of 10 healthy volunteers, 31 benign breast disease, 53 operable breast cancer, and 26 metastatic breast cancer patients. The levels of serum HER-2 were measured using an enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results The mean serum HER-2 levels were 9.6 + 1.5 ng/mL in healthy volunteers, 11.9 + 1.6 ng/mL in benign breast disease, 13.2 + 4.2 ng/mL in operable breast cancer, and 30.5 + 30.8 ng/mL in metastatic breast cancer patients. The former is much lower than the latter three (P=0.02, 0.001, 0.03, respectively). If using 15 ng/mL as a normal baseline, elevated serum HER-2 levels were observed in none of the healthy volunteers as well as patients with benign disease, but in 18.9% (10/53)operable breast cancer patients and 61.5% (16/26) metastatic patients. In patients with operable breast cancer, there was a positive correlation between serum concentrations of HER-2 and the size of primary rumor (P < 0.05), whereas there was no correlation between serum concentration and axillary lymph node or estrogen receptor status. In patients with metastatic disease, there was no correlation with site of metastases (P > 0.05).Conclusion Serum HER-2 level was strongly correlated with rumor loads and clinical stages, thus acting as a promising predictor of cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients.

  17. Correlation between HER2 gene amplification and protein overexpression through fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in breast carcinoma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makroo, R N; Chowdhry, Mohit; Kumar, Manoj; Srivastava, Priyanka; Tyagi, Richa; Bhadauria, Preeti; Kaul, Sumaid; Sarin, Ramesh; Das, P K; Dua, Harsh

    2012-01-01

    In India, the incidence of breast cancer has increased in the urban population, with 1 in every 22 women diagnosed with breast cancer. It is important to know the HER2/neu gene status for a better prognostication of these patients. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for determining HER2/neu alteration in breast carcinoma. A total of 188 histologically proven breast carcinoma cases between the years 2007 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed on the paraffin tissue sections by both IHC and FISH techniques. FISH for HER2/neu gene amplification was performed on cases where the IHC status was already known and the results were compared. A total of 64 (30%) patients were found to be amplified and the remaining 124 (65.9%) cases were found to be unamplified through FISH. Patients observed with 3+ reading on IHC were later confirmed as unamplified in 29.5% cases through FISH. It has been confirmed with the present study that IHC is a prudent first-step technique to screen tissue samples for HER2/neu gene status, but should be supplemented with the FISH technique especially in equivocal cases.

  18. Correlation between HER2 gene amplification and protein overexpression through fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in breast carcinoma patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R N Makroo

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background : In India, the incidence of breast cancer has increased in the urban population, with 1 in every 22 women diagnosed with breast cancer. It is important to know the HER2/neu gene status for a better prognostication of these patients. Aim : The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH and immunohistochemistry (IHC for determining HER2/neu alteration in breast carcinoma. Materials and Methods : A total of 188 histologically proven breast carcinoma cases between the years 2007 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed on the paraffin tissue sections by both IHC and FISH techniques. FISH for HER2/neu gene amplification was performed on cases where the IHC status was already known and the results were compared. Results : A total of 64 (30% patients were found to be amplified and the remaining 124 (65.9% cases were found to be unamplified through FISH. Patients observed with 3+ reading on IHC were later confirmed as unamplified in 29.5% cases through FISH. Conclusion : It has been confirmed with the present study that IHC is a prudent first-step technique to screen tissue samples for HER2/neu gene status, but should be supplemented with the FISH technique especially in equivocal cases.

  19. Serum HER2 levels are increased in patients with chronic heart failure.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Perik, P.J.; Vries, E.G.F. de; Gietema, J.A.; Graaf, W.T.A. van der; Smilde, T.D.; Sleijfer, D.Th.; Veldhuisen, D.J. van

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The use of trastuzumab, an antibody against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, is related to cardiotoxicity. AIMS: To investigate whether serum HER2 is increased in heart failure patients and related to disease

  20. The HER2 CISH pharmDx(™) Kit in the assessment of breast cancer patients for anti-HER2 treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foged, Niels T; Brügmann, Anja; Jørgensen, Jan T

    2013-04-01

    Testing for amplification of the human EGF receptor 2 (HER2) gene by in situ hybridization is a central principle for the identification of breast cancer patients likely to respond to treatments directed toward HER2. However, its application in clinical routine has been somewhat restricted by the typical use of a visualization system based on fluorescence (FISH), which requires skilled, work-intensive, high-magnification quantitative microscopy. The US FDA has recently approved the HER2 CISH pharmDx™ Kit, which is characterized by employing a chromogenic visualization system that allows quantification of the HER2 gene and centromere 17 reference signals by relatively low-magnification brightfield microscopy. It is indicated as an aid in the assessment of patients for whom Herceptin(®) (trastuzumab) treatment is being considered.

  1. HER2 amplification, overexpression and score criteria in esophageal adenocarcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yingchuan; Bandla, Santhoshi; Godfrey, Tony E.; Tan, Dongfeng; Luketich, James D.; Pennathur, Arjun; Qiu, Xing; Hicks, David G.; Peters, Jeffrey; Zhou, Zhongren

    2011-01-01

    The HER2 oncogene was recently reported to be amplified and overexpressed in esophageal adenocarcinoma. However, the relationship of HER2 amplification in esophageal adenocarcinoma with prognosis has not been well defined. The scoring systems for clinically evaluating HER2 in esophageal adenocarcinoma are not established. The aims of the study were to establish a HER2 scoring system and comprehensively investigate HER2 amplification and overexpression in esophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesion. Using a tissue microarray, containing 116 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma, 34 cases of BE, 18 cases of low grade dysplasia and 15 cases of high grade dysplasia, HER2 amplification and overexpression were analyzed by HercepTest and CISH methods. The amplification frequency in an independent series of 116 esophageal adenocarcinoma samples was also analyzed using Affymetrix SNP 6.0 microarrays. In our studies, we have found that HER2 amplification does not associate with poor prognosis in total 232 esophageal adenocarcinoma patients by CISH and high density microarrays. We further confirm the similar frequency of HER2 amplification by CISH (18.10%; 21/116) and SNP 6.0 microarrays (16.4%, 19/116) in esophageal adenocarcinoma. HER2 protein overexpression was observed in 12.1 % (14/116) of esophageal adenocarcinoma and 6.67% (1/15) of HGD. No HER2 amplification or overexpression was identified in BE or LGD. All HER2 protein overexpression cases showed HER2 gene amplification. Gene amplification was found to be more frequent by CISH than protein overexpression in esophageal adenocarcinoma (18.10% vs 12.9%). A modified two-step model for esophageal adenocarcinoma HER-2 testing is recommend for clinical esophageal adenocarcinoma HER-2 trial. PMID:21460800

  2. The prognostic value of Her4 receptor isoform expression in triple-negative and Her2 positive breast cancer patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machleidt, Anna; Buchholz, Stefan; Diermeier-Daucher, Simone; Zeman, Florian; Ortmann, Olaf; Brockhoff, Gero

    2013-01-01

    Not only four but rather seven different human epidermal growth factor receptor related (Her) receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) have been described to be expressed in a variety of normal and neoplastic tissues: Her1, Her2, Her3, and additionally four Her4 isoforms have been identified. A differential expression of Her4 isoforms does not, however, play any role in either the molecular diagnostics or treatment decision for breast cancer patients. The prognostic and predictive impact of Her4 expression in breast cancer is basically unclear. We quantified the Her4 variants JM-a/CYT1, JM-a/CYT2, JM-b/CYT1, and JM-b/CYT2 by isoform-specific polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in (i) triple-negative, (ii) Her2 positive breast cancer tissues and (iii) in benign breast tissues. In all three tissue collectives we never found the JM-b/CYT1 or the JM-b/CYT2 isoform expressed. In contrast, the two JM-a/CYT1 and JM-a/CYT2 isoforms were always simultaneously expressed but at different ratios. We identified a positive prognostic impact on overall survival (OS) in triple-negative and event-free survival (EFS) in Her2 positive patients. This finding is independent of the absolute JM-a/CYT1 to JM-a/CYT2 expression ratio. In Her2 positive patients, Her4 expression only has a favorable effect in estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive but not in ER-negative individuals. In summary, JM-a/CYT1 and JM-a/CYT2 but not JM-b isoforms of the Her4 receptor are simultaneously expressed in both triple-negative and Her2 positive breast cancer tissues. Although different expression ratios of the two JM-a isoforms did not reveal any additional information, Her4 expression basically indicates a prolonged EFS and OFS. An extended expression analysis that takes all Her receptor homologs, including the Her4 isoforms, into account might render more precisely the molecular diagnostics required for the development of optimized targeted therapies

  3. Long-term hazard of recurrence in HER2+ breast cancer patients untreated with anti-HER2 therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strasser-Weippl, Kathrin; Horick, Nora; Smith, Ian E

    2015-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, many patients with HER2+ (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive) early breast cancer (BC) do not receive adjuvant trastuzumab. Hazards of recurrence of these patients with respect to hormone receptor status of the primary tumor have not been described. METHODS...

  4. Impact of Modified 2013 ASCO/CAP Guidelines on HER2 Testing in Breast Cancer. One Year Experience.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zsuzsanna Varga

    Full Text Available The latest guidelines of the American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP to test Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2 in breast cancer after being revised in 2008 underwent a second modification in October 2013. The modification includes changes in cut-offs: 10% strong membranous staining for score 3+ on immunohistochemistry (IHC (previously 30% and using the ratio of >2 or absolute gene-copy-number (6 or more alone or in combination with each other by in-situ-hybridisation technology (previously >2.2 and average copy-number of 6 or more. Hereby we addressed the question, which impact the modified cut-offs had on overall HER2-positivity in a single institution.We prospectively analysed 617 consecutive diagnostic breast-cancer cases which underwent double HER2 testing by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in-situ hybridisation (FISH, using the modified 2013 ASCO/CAP-guidelines for one year (October 2013-October 2014. Results were compared with HER2-test results on 1,528 consecutive diagnostic breast-cancer cases from two previous years (2011-2012, using the 2008 ASCO/CAP guidelines, also tested with IHC and FISH in each case.Between October 2013 and October 2014, overall HER2-positivity was 15.8% (98 of 617 cases were either IHC 3+ or FISH amplified. 79 of 617 cases (13% were IHC 3+, 96 of 617 cases (15.5% were FISH amplified. Equivocal cases were seen in 25 of 617 cases (4.1%. 22 of 25 equivocal cases (88% in 2013-2014 were IHC 1+ or 2+. In 13 equivocal cases, there was a repeated IHC/FISH testing: 2 of 13 cases (15% became FISH amplified, 1 of 13 cases (7.5% became IHC 3+. In 2011-2012, overall HER2-positivity (IHC/FISH was 13.8% (211 of 1,528 cases. 185 of 1,528 cases (12% were 3+ on IHC, 181 of 1,522 cases (12% were amplified by FISH. Six of 1,528 cases were equivocal by FISH, and interpreted as non-amplified (0.3%.Applying the modified ASCO/CAP guidelines from 2013 resulted in an increase (2

  5. The frequency and clinical impact of HER2 alterations in lung adenocarcinoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun Kyung Kim

    Full Text Available Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 or ErbB2 can be overexpressed, amplified and/or mutated in malignant tumors, and is a candidate for therapeutic targeting. However, molecular associations and clinical significances of these alterations were controversial in lung cancer. In this study, we investigated the frequency and clinicopathological significance of HER2 dysregulation in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. HER2 protein overexpression, gene amplification, and gene mutation were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC, silver in situ hybridization, and direct sequencing, respectively. The H-scoring method and American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists breast cancer guidelines were used to interpret IHC results. Genetic analyses of EGFR and KRAS mutations, and of ALK and ROS1 rearrangements, were also performed. Of the 321 adenocarcinoma patients identified, HER2 overexpression (H-score ≥200 and gene amplification were found in 6 (1.9% and 46 (14.3%, respectively. HER2 overexpression was correlated with papillary predominant histology; furthermore, it indicated poor overall survival and was an independent prognostic factor. HER2 amplification was associated with pleural invasion and showed a tendency towards shorter overall and disease-free survival. High-level gene amplification (HER2/CEP17 ratio ≥5 or copy number ≥10 was a poor prognostic factor for disease-free survival. HER2 mutations were detected in 6.7% (7 of 104 of driver oncogene-negative adenocarcinomas. Our study suggests that HER2 overexpression or amplification is a poor prognostic factor in lung adenocarcinoma, although the frequency of such events is low. Since molecular targeted agents are being tested in clinical trials, awareness of the specific HER2 status can influence the prognostic stratification and treatment of patients with molecularly defined subsets of lung adenocarcinoma.

  6. Phase I clinical trial of HER2-specific immunotherapy with concomitant HER2 kinase inhibtion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamilton Erika

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer, despite initially benefiting from the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab and the EGFR/HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib, will eventually have progressive disease. HER2-based vaccines induce polyclonal antibody responses against HER2 that demonstrate enhanced anti-tumor activity when combined with lapatinib in murine models. We wished to test the clinical safety, immunogenicity, and activity of a HER2-based cancer vaccine, when combined with lapatinib. Methods We immunized women (n = 12 with metastatic, trastuzumab-refractory, HER2-overexpressing breast cancer with dHER2, a recombinant protein consisting of extracellular domain (ECD and a portion of the intracellular domain (ICD of HER2 combined with the adjuvant AS15, containing MPL, QS21, CpG and liposome. Lapatinib (1250 mg/day was administered concurrently. Peripheral blood antibody and T cell responses were measured. Results This regimen was well tolerated, with no cardiotoxicity. Anti-HER2-specific antibody was induced in all patients whereas HER2-specific T cells were detected in one patient. Preliminary analyses of patient serum demonstrated downstream signaling inhibition in HER2 expressing tumor cells. The median time to progression was 55 days, with the majority of patients progressing prior to induction of peak anti-HER2 immune responses; however, 300-day overall survival was 92% (95% CI: 77-100%. Conclusions dHER2 combined with lapatinib was safe and immunogenic with promising long term survival in those with HER2-overexpressing breast cancers refractory to trastuzumab. Further studies to define the anticancer activity of the antibodies induced by HER2 vaccines along with lapatinib are underway. Trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00952692

  7. Immunohistochemical expression of HER-2/neu in patients with lung carcinoma and its prognostic significance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrusevska, G.; Banev, S.; Ilievska-Poposka, B.; Smickova, S.; Spirovski, Z.

    2004-01-01

    Background. The HER-2 protein or p185her2 is a membrane receptor with tyrosine kinase activity encoded by HER-2/neu gene. Overexpression of HER-2/neu has been observed in many human cancers, including lung cancer. In the study, the expression of HER-2 protein is determined in the spectrum of lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma). Patients and methods. The study population consisted of two groups: 19 patients that had undergone surgical treatment and 10 patients that had undergone fiber-optic bronchoscopy and biopsy for primary diagnosis only. Tissue specimens were neutral formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded. Standard histochemical and immunohistochemical staining were used for diagnosis. Expression of HER-2/neu protein was determined by immunohistochemical staining with Hercep Test (DAKO). The results were graded 0-1 as negative and 2-3 as positive. Results. Overall incidence of HER-2/neu overexpression was 34.4% (10 of 29). Higher incidence was found in the patients with adenocarcinoma 45.4% (5 of 11). In squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma, the overexpression incidence was 30.7% (4 of 13) and 20% (1 of 5), respectively. No statistically significant difference was seen given the age and gender. HER-2/neu overexpression was more pronounced in the patients with advanced tumour: all patients with squamous cell carcinoma and HER-2/neu overexpression had stage IIIB and stage IV disease, while 80 % of adenocarcinoma patients with HER-2/neu overexpression had stage IIIA and IIIB disease. Conclusions. These results are satisfactory and encourage us to continue this work in the follow-up study to evaluate HER-2/neu role as predictive and prognostic factor for the patients with lung cancer. (author)

  8. A virosomal formulated Her-2/neu multi-peptide vaccine induces Her-2/neu-specific immune responses in patients with metastatic breast cancer: a phase I study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiedermann, Ursula; Wiltschke, C; Jasinska, J; Kundi, M; Zurbriggen, R; Garner-Spitzer, E; Bartsch, R; Steger, G; Pehamberger, H; Scheiner, O; Zielinski, C C

    2010-02-01

    We have previously shown in mice that vaccination with three Her-2-peptides representing B-cell epitopes of the extracellular domain of Her-2/neu induces Her-2/neu-specific IgG antibodies with strong anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. We have now finalized a phase I clinical trial with an anti-Her-2/neu vaccine-construct of immunopotentiating reconstituted influenza virosomes with the three peptides in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Ten MBC patients with low protein overexpression of Her-2/neu of MBC (+ or ++ upon immunohistochemistry, FISH negative) and positive hormone receptor status were enrolled in a single center phase I study. The virosomal formulated vaccine, consisting of 10 microg/peptide, was intramuscularly applied three times on days 1, 28, and 56. The primary endpoint of the study, which lasted 12 weeks, was safety, the secondary endpoint immunogenicity. Local erythema at the injection site was the only vaccine-related side effect occurring in four patients. In 8 of 10 patients an increase in peptide-specific antibody titer measured by ELISA was found. Importantly, the induced antibodies were also directed against the native Her-2/neu protein. Cellular immune responses, as measured by in vitro production of IL-2, IFN-c, and TNF-a of PBMCs showed a marked increase after vaccination in the majority of vaccinees. Notably, the number of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T regulatory cells, which were significantly increased compared to healthy controls prior to vaccination, was markedly reduced following vaccination. In all, the immunological responses after vaccination indicated that the patients in stage IV of disease were immunocompetent and susceptible to vaccination. The Her-2/neu multipeptide vaccine was safe, well tolerated and effective in overcoming immunological tolerance to Her-2/neu. The induction of anti-Her-2-specific antibodies could result in clinical benefit comparable to passive anti-Her-2 antibody therapy.

  9. HER3 protein expression in relation to HER2 positivity in patients with primary colorectal cancer: clinical relevance and prognostic value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, An Na; Kwak, Yoonjin; Kim, Woo Ho; Kim, Duck-Woo; Kang, Sung-Bum; Choe, Gheeyoung; Lee, Hye Seung

    2015-06-01

    The clinical and prognostic significance of HER3 expression and its relation to HER2 status in primary colorectal cancer (pCRC) were investigated. We retrospectively analysed 365 consecutive cases of pCRC that had been previously evaluated for HER2 status and included their 143 matched lymph node metastases. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to assess HER3 expression using tissue array methods. Of 364 eligible patients, HER3 overexpression was detected in 251 cases (69 %) (IHC 2+, n = 186 and IHC 3+, n = 65). HER3 overexpression was inversely correlated with histologic grade (p = 0.006), tumour size (p < 0.001), tumour depth (p < 0.001), TNM stage (p = 0.002), lymphatic invasion (p = 0.004), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.013) and distant metastasis (p = 0.039). Moreover, it positively correlated with both HER2 overexpression (p = 0.007) and HER2 gene amplification (p = 0.006). Although HER3 overexpression was associated with longer survival in univariate analysis (p = 0.026), it was not an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis (p = 0.359). Moreover, co-alteration of HER3 and HER2 was associated with neither survival nor any clinicopathologic parameter except tumour location in the rectum. Although not an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, HER3 overexpression was associated with several favourable prognostic clinicopathologic parameters. Additionally, HER3 overexpression strongly correlated with HER2 positivity in this cohort of patients.

  10. NatHER: protocol for systematic evaluation of trends in survival among patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korner, Eli J; Morris, Anne; Allen, Isabel Elaine; Hurvitz, Sara; Beattie, Mary S; Kalesan, Bindu

    2015-10-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer and is historically associated with poor outcomes compared with HER2-negative MBC. Since 1998, four drugs have been globally approved for the targeted treatment of HER2-positive MBC. Additional advances in patient care-such as improved breast cancer screening, HER2 testing, and supportive care-have also occurred. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine whether there has been a cumulative change in survival over time in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer based on results from interventional clinical trials (ICTs) and observational studies and to compare outcomes across these types of studies. A systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials will be performed. Two investigators will independently assess each abstract for inclusion. English language reports of ICTs and observational studies that include patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer from 1987 onwards will be considered. The primary outcome of interest is overall survival; secondary outcomes include progression-free survival and safety. Data on clinical outcomes, as well as on study design, study population, treatment/intervention, methodological quality, and outcomes, will be extracted using a structured codebook developed by the authors for this study. Standard and cumulative random effects meta-analysis will be performed to derive pooled risk estimates, both overall and by study design, controlling for covariates such as aggregate demographic and clinical characteristics of patients, treatment/intervention, and study characteristics. Heterogeneity of studies will be evaluated using the I(2) statistic. Differences in risk estimates by quality characteristics will be performed using meta-regression. This study will evaluate current and evolving trends in survival associated with

  11. HER2-positive breast cancer, how far away from the cure?-on the current situation of anti-HER2 therapy in breast cancer treatment and survival of patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Ning

    2016-06-01

    With the diagnosis and treatment of tumor enter into the area of precision medical, based on selected targeted molecular typing of patients with individualized diagnosis and treatment play an important role. HER gene encoded epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) leading to increased early distant metastasis of breast cancer in patients and poor prognosis. However, a number of clinical studies provided evidence-based anti-HER2 targeted therapy and confirmed the benefit of anti-HER2 targeted therapy in patient survival. In recent years, through the tireless efforts of scholars in the field of breast cancer in our country, the whole diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer has accomplished an international standard. But based on a variety of factors, the anti-HER2 targeted therapy between China and the developed countries, and between different areas in China still exists certain gaps, is now a problem need to be solved. This article will analyzing the diagnostic and treatment on HER2-positive breast cancer in the United States and China, exploring reasons and looking for answers to narrow down the gap in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer between China and the United States. Improve the anti-HER2 targeted therapy in our country, let the patients get maximum benefit from anti-HER2 targeted therapy.

  12. HER2 gene amplification in patients with prostate cancer: Evaluating a CISH-based method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharifi, Nazanin; Salmaninejad, Arash; Ferdosi, Samira; Bajestani, Abolfazl Nesaei; Khaleghiyan, Malihe; Estiar, Mehrdad Asghari; Jamali, Mansour; Nowroozi, Mohammad Reza; Shakoori, Abbas

    2016-12-01

    Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most widespread malignancies in the world. The role of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in the pathogenesis and progression of human PCa remains poorly understood. In contradiction with breast cancer, studies on HER2 overexpression and gene amplification in PCa have produced varying results, although the HER2 oncogene has been implicated in the biology of numerous tumor types, and serves as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in breast cancer. Technical challenges are considered the main reasons for data discrepancies. Amplification of the HER2 gene has previously been reported in PCa, in which it was associated with tumor progression. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of HER2 amplification in PCa. A total of 32 biopsy samples obtained from human prostate adenocarcinomas were evaluated by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) to determine the frequency of patients with HER2 gene amplifications. High copy numbers of HER2 were detected in 19 of the prostate tumors analyzed. The results of the present study suggested that, in patients without amplification of HER2, high levels of prostate-specific antigen or a high Gleason score were not significantly correlated with a high pathologic stage. Furthermore, amplification levels of the HER2 gene were directly associated with pathologic stage in patients with PCa. Therefore, the potential use of HER2 as a prognostic factor or therapeutic target for PCa warrants further study.

  13. Phase II Study of HER-2/neu Intracellular Domain Peptide-Based Vaccine Administered to Stage IV HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Trastuzumab

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Disis, Mary L

    2007-01-01

    The primary purpose of this grant is to determine the overall survival benefit in Stage IV HER2 positive breast cancer patients vaccinated with a HER2 ICD peptide-based vaccine while receiving maintenance trastuzumab...

  14. Phase II Study of HER-2/neu Intracellular Domain Peptide-Based Vaccine Administered to Stage IV HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Trastuzumab

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Disis, Mary L

    2006-01-01

    The primary purpose of this grant is to determine the overall survival benefit in Stage IV HER2 positive breast cancer patients vaccinated with a HER2 ICD peptide-based vaccine while receiving maintenance trastuzumab...

  15. The relation between survival and expression of HER1 and HER2 depends on the expression of HER3 and HER4

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Memon, A A; Sorensen, B S; Meldgaard, P

    2006-01-01

    significance of HER1 and HER2 receptors in bladder cancer is controversial and the effect of the expression of different combinations of these receptors on patient survival is not well understood. Therefore, we examined the mRNA expression of all four EGF receptors with real-time polymerase chain reaction......Increased expression of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, HER1 and HER2 are related to poor prognosis in most cancers studied. Recently, a high expression of the two remaining receptors of the EGF system, HER3 and HER4 has been related to a favourable prognosis. However, prognostic...... in biopsies from 88 patients with bladder cancer, where the survival was followed for a median of 38.5 months (range 1-117 months). Expression of HER1 and HER2 alone showed no correlation with survival. However, a high expression of HER1 together with high expression of HER3 and HER4 correlated to a better...

  16. HER2 overexpression and amplification as a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer: analysis of 3256 patients enrolled in the QUASAR, FOCUS and PICCOLO colorectal cancer trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richman, Susan D; Southward, Katie; Chambers, Philip; Cross, Debra; Barrett, Jennifer; Hemmings, Gemma; Taylor, Morag; Wood, Henry; Hutchins, Gordon; Foster, Joseph M; Oumie, Assa; Spink, Karen G; Brown, Sarah R; Jones, Marc; Kerr, David; Handley, Kelly; Gray, Richard; Seymour, Matthew; Quirke, Philip

    2016-03-01

    HER2 overexpression/amplification is linked to trastuzumab response in breast/gastric cancers. One suggested anti-EGFR resistance mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) is aberrant MEK-AKT pathway activation through HER2 up-regulation. We assessed HER2-amplification/overexpression in stage II-III and IV CRC patients, assessing relationships to KRAS/BRAF and outcome. Pathological material was obtained from 1914 patients in the QUASAR stage II-III trial and 1342 patients in stage IV trials (FOCUS and PICCOLO). Tissue microarrays were created for HER2 immunohistochemistry. HER2-amplification was assessed using FISH and copy number variation. KRAS/BRAF mutation status was assessed by pyrosequencing. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) data were obtained for FOCUS/PICCOLO and recurrence and mortality for QUASAR; 29/1342 (2.2%) stage IV and 25/1914 (1.3%) stage II-III tumours showed HER2 protein overexpression. Of the HER2-overexpressing cases, 27/28 (96.4%) stage IV tumours and 20/24 (83.3%) stage II-III tumours demonstrated HER2 amplification by FISH; 41/47 (87.2%) also showed copy number gains. HER2-overexpression was associated with KRAS/BRAF wild-type (WT) status at all stages: in 5.2% WT versus 1.0% mutated tumours (p < 0.0001) in stage IV and 2.1% versus 0.2% in stage II-III tumours (p = 0.01), respectively. HER2 was not associated with OS or PFS. At stage II-III, there was no significant correlation between HER2 overexpression and 5FU/FA response. A higher proportion of HER2-overexpressing cases experienced recurrence, but the difference was not significant. HER2-amplification/overexpression is identifiable by immunohistochemistry, occurring infrequently in stage II-III CRC, rising in stage IV and further in KRAS/BRAF WT tumours. The value of HER2-targeted therapy in patients with HER2-amplified CRC must be tested in a clinical trial. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society

  17. Comparative evaluation of non-informative HER-2 immunoreactions (2+) in breast carcinomas with FISH, CISH and QRT-PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostopoulou, Evanthia; Vageli, Dimitra; Kaisaridou, Despina; Nakou, Marianna; Netsika, Maria; Vladica, Natalia; Daponte, Alexandros; Koukoulis, George

    2007-12-01

    The routine assessment of HER-2 expression can be affected by many immunohistological preanalytical and analytical variables. The evaluation of non-informative HER-2 tests, because of 2(+) scores, has been addressed in studies using in situ hybridization (fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) or chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH)). There are very few studies that additionally checked 2(+) cases by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (QRT-PCR). We analyzed totally 195 breast carcinoma cases, 70 of them showing 2(+) immunoreaction, with FISH/CISH and QRT-PCR. Confirmed amplification in 2(+) cases fell within the reported range (12.8% vs. 8-44%) and some of them showed lower mRNA levels indicating a genuine decrease of HER-2 protein as a mechanism for the non-informative score. In other cases, increased mRNA levels could be ascribed to HER-2 polysomy, verifying previous observations of immunohistologically detectable HER-2 polysomy. A remarkable subset of the 2(+) cases showed "normal" mRNA levels without amplification or polysomy and technical parameters as well as heterogeneity could be incriminated. The overall concordance of QRT-PCR and FISH was 93.8%, highest than most previously reported. Yet, the lack of clear cut-off mRNA values and the challenge of sample microdissection hinder QRT-PCR from claiming the status of a gold standard test for HER-2 evaluation.

  18. HER2 overexpression elicits a proinflammatory IL-6 autocrine signaling loop that is critical for tumorigenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartman, Zachary C; Yang, Xiao-Yi; Glass, Oliver; Lei, Gangjun; Osada, Takuya; Dave, Sandeep S; Morse, Michael A; Clay, Timothy M; Lyerly, Herbert K

    2011-07-01

    HER2 overexpression occurs in approximately 25% of breast cancers, where it correlates with poor prognosis. Likewise, systemic inflammation in breast cancer correlates with poor prognosis, although the process is not understood. In this study, we explored the relationship between HER2 and inflammation, comparing the effects of overexpressing wild-type or mutated inactive forms of HER2 in primary human breast cells. Wild-type HER2 elicited a profound transcriptional inflammatory profile, including marked elevation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression, which we established to be a critical determinant of HER2 oncogenesis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that IL-6 secretion induced by HER2 overexpression activated Stat3 and altered gene expression, enforcing an autocrine loop of IL-6/Stat3 expression. Both mouse and human in vivo models of HER2-amplified breast carcinoma relied critically on this HER2-IL-6-Stat3 signaling pathway. Our studies offer the first direct evidence linking HER2 to a systemic inflammatory mechanism that orchestrates HER2-mediated tumor growth. We suggest that the HER2-IL-6-STAT3 signaling axis we have defined in breast cancer could prompt new therapeutic or prevention strategies for treatment of HER2-amplified cancers. ©2011 AACR.

  19. Prognostic factors of HER2-positive breast cancer patients who develop brain metastasis: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Naoki; Niikura, Naoki; Masuda, Norikazu; Takashima, Seiki; Nakamura, Rikiya; Watanabe, Ken-ichi; Kanbayashi, Chizuko; Ishida, Mayumi; Hozumi, Yasuo; Tsuneizumi, Michiko; Kondo, Naoto; Naito, Yoichi; Honda, Yayoi; Matsui, Akira; Fujisawa, Tomomi; Oshitanai, Risa; Yasojima, Hiroyuki; Yamauchi, Hideko; Saji, Shigehira; Iwata, Hiroji

    2015-01-01

    The clinical course and prognostic factors of HER2-positive breast cancer patients with brain metastases are not well known because of the relatively small population. The aim of this study was to determine prognostic factors associated with HER2-positive patients who develop brain metastases. This retrospective study assessed the largest dataset to date of 432 HER2-positive patients who were diagnosed with brain metastases from 24 institutions of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group, Breast Cancer Study Group. The median age of the 432 patients was 54 years (range, 20-86 years). Of the patients, 162 patients (37.5 %) had ER-positive/HER2-positive (ER+HER2+) breast cancer, and 270 (62.5 %) had ER-negative/HER2-positive (ER-HER2+) breast cancer. The median brain metastasis-free survival period from primary breast cancer was 33.5 months in both groups. The median survival after developing brain metastasis was 16.5 and 11.5 months in the ER+HER2+ and ER-HER2+ groups, respectively, (p = 0.117). Patients with >3 brain metastases had significantly shorter overall survival in both ER+HER2+ (p developing brain metastases was not associated with survival duration after developing brain metastases (p = 0.571). However, patients treated with both trastuzumab and lapatinib after developing metastasis had significantly longer survival than patients treated with trastuzumab alone, lapatinib alone, or no HER2-targeting agent (p brain metastases, regardless of the use of trastuzumab before developing brain metastasis, treatment with both trastuzumab and lapatinib might improve survival.

  20. High p95HER2/HER2 Ratio Associated With Poor Outcome in Trastuzumab-Treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer NCCTG N0337 and NCCTG 98-32-52 (Alliance).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chumsri, Saranya; Sperinde, Jeff; Liu, Heshan; Gligorov, Joseph; Spano, Jean-Philippe; Antoine, Martine; Moreno Aspitia, Alvaro; Tan, Winston; Winslow, John; Petropoulos, Christos J; Chenna, Ahmed; Bates, Michael; Weidler, Jodi Marie; Huang, Weidong; Dueck, Amylou; Perez, Edith A

    2018-03-12

    Purpose: p95HER2 is a truncated form of HER2 that confers resistance to trastuzumab in vitro , but clinical results have been conflicting to date. Given that p95HER2 levels correlate with total HER2 expression levels, which confer better outcomes, we sought to evaluate the p95HER2/HER2 ratio in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group N0337 and N98-32-52 trials. Experimental Design: The HERmark assay and VeraTag technology (Monogram Biosciences) were used to measure total HER2 and p95HER2 expression levels in 91 patient samples. Results: In the multivariate model, increasing total HER2 level was significantly associated with longer (OS; HR, 0.33; P = 0.002) and decreasing p95HER2 level was significantly associated with longer OS (HR, 4.2; P = 0.01). Total HER2 expression level was significantly associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) (HR, 0.57; P = 0.04), whereas p95HER2 level was not (HR, 1.7; P = 0.25). However, there was a positive association between p95HER2 and total HER2 expression levels ( R 2 = 0.48; P < 0.001). Consistent with our hypothesis, the ratio of p95HER2/HER2 was significantly associated with worsening PFS (HR, 1.7; P = 0.04) and OS (HR, 2.8; P = 0.002). Patients with the highest tertile of p95HER2/HER2 values had significantly less favorable PFS (HR, 1.8; P = 0.06) and OS (HR, 2.3; P = 0.02). Conclusions: A high p95HER2/HER2 ratio identified patients with metastatic breast cancer with poor outcomes on trastuzumab-based therapies. Further investigation of the p95HER2/HER2 ratio as a potential prognostic or predictive biomarker for HER2-targeted therapy is warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 1-6. ©2018 AACR. ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

  1. Positive response to neoadjuvant cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin in topoisomerase II nonamplified/HER2/neu negative/polysomy 17 absent breast cancer patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry G Kaplan

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Henry G Kaplan1, Judith A Malmgren2,3, Mary Atwood1, Lynn C Goldstein41Swedish Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA; 2HealthStat Consulting Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA; 3School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; 4PhenoPath Laboratories, Seattle, Washington, USAPurpose: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu, topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A, and polysomy 17 may predict tumor responsiveness to doxorubicin (DOX therapy.Methods: We identified neoadjuvant DOX/cyclophosphamide treated breast cancer patients in our registry from 1997 to 2008 with sufficient tissue for testing (n = 34. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH testing was done on deparaffinized tissue sections pretreated using vendor’s standard protocol modification, and incubated with US Food and Drug Administration approved Abbott Diagnostics Vysis PathVysion™ probe set, including Spectrum-Green-conjugated probe to a-satellite DNA located at the centromere of chromosome 17 (17p11.1–q11.1 and a Spectrum-Orange-conjugated probe to the TOP2A gene. Morphometric analysis was performed using a MetaSystems image analysis system. Manual counting was performed on all samples in which autofluorescence and/or artifact prevented the counting of sufficient numbers of cells. A ratio >2.0 was considered positive for TOP2A amplification. Polysomy 17 (PS17 presence was defined as signals of ≥2.5. Outcomes were pathological complete response (pCR, partial response (PR, and nonresponse (NR.Results: Of 34 patients tested, one was TOP2A amplified (hormone receptor negative/HER2 ­negative, partial responder. The subset of TOP2A nonamplified, HER2 negative, and PS17 absent (n = 23 patients had treatment response: pCR = 2 (9%, PR = 14 (61%, and NR = 7 (30%. Including the two PS17 present and HER2-positive patients (n = 33, 76% of TOP2A nonamplified patients had pCR or PR

  2. Ibrutinib Inhibits ERBB Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and HER2-Amplified Breast Cancer Cell Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jun; Kinoshita, Taisei; Sukbuntherng, Juthamas; Chang, Betty Y; Elias, Laurence

    2016-12-01

    Ibrutinib is a potent, small-molecule Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor developed for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. Ibrutinib covalently binds to Cys481 in the ATP-binding domain of BTK. This cysteine residue is conserved among 9 other tyrosine kinases, including HER2 and EGFR, which can be targeted. Screening large panels of cell lines demonstrated that ibrutinib was growth inhibitory against some solid tumor cells, including those inhibited by other HER2/EGFR inhibitors. Among sensitive cell lines, breast cancer lines with HER2 overexpression were most potently inhibited by ibrutinib (ibrutinib coincided with downregulation of phosphorylation on HER2 and EGFR and their downstream targets, AKT and ERK. Irreversible inhibition of HER2 and EGFR in breast cancer cells was established after 30-minute incubation above 100 nmol/L or following 2-hour incubation at lower concentrations. Furthermore, ibrutinib inhibited recombinant HER2 and EGFR activity that was resistant to dialysis and rapid dilution, suggesting an irreversible interaction. The dual activity toward TEC family (BTK and ITK) and ERBB family kinases was unique to ibrutinib, as ERBB inhibitors do not inhibit or covalently bind BTK or ITK. Xenograft studies with HER2 + MDA-MB-453 and BT-474 cells in mice in conjunction with determination of pharmacokinetics demonstrated significant exposure-dependent inhibition of growth and key signaling molecules at levels that are clinically achievable. Ibrutinib's unique dual spectrum of activity against both TEC family and ERBB kinases suggests broader applications of ibrutinib in oncology. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(12); 2835-44. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  3. Detection of Non-Amplified Genomic DNA

    CERN Document Server

    Corradini, Roberto

    2012-01-01

    This book offers a state-of-the-art overview on non amplified DNA detection methods and provides chemists, biochemists, biotechnologists and material scientists with an introduction to these methods. In fact all these fields have dedicated resources to the problem of nucleic acid detection, each contributing with their own specific methods and concepts. This book will explain the basic principles of the different non amplified DNA detection methods available, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. The importance of non-amplified DNA sequencing technologies will be also discussed. Non-amplified DNA detection can be achieved by adopting different techniques. Such techniques have allowed the commercialization of innovative platforms for DNA detection that are expected to break into the DNA diagnostics market. The enhanced sensitivity required for the detection of non amplified genomic DNA has prompted new strategies that can achieve ultrasensitivity by combining specific materials with specifi...

  4. Neratinib after trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (ExteNET)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chan, Arlene; Delaloge, Suzette; Holmes, Frankie A

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Neratinib, an irreversible tyrosine-kinase inhibitor of HER1, HER2, and HER4, has clinical activity in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of 12 months of neratinib after trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy in patients w...

  5. Serum HER 2 extracellular domain level is correlated with tissue HER 2 status in metastatic gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shu-Qin Dai

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: To explore the association between serum human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER 2 extracellular domain (ECD levels and tissue HER 2 status in metastatic gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: HER 2 status was retrospectively analyzed in 219 advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ patients. Serum HER 2 ECD was measured by chemiluminescent assay and tissue HER 2 was assessed by fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH and immunohistochemistry (IHC assay. RESULTS: Significant associations were found between serum HER 2 ECD levels and tissue HER 2 status. Twenty-four patients had HER 2 ECD levels >16.35 ng/mL, which has a sensitivity of 51.4% and a specificity of 97.3% to predict tissue HER 2 status. When the cut-off value was increased to 22 ng/mL, then all 12 patients with serum HER 2 ECD levels>22 ng/mL were tissue HER 2 positive, corresponding to a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 32.4%. High serum HER 2 ECD levels were strongly associated with the intestinal histological type (Lauren's classification, liver metastasis, multiple metastasis (>2 and increased LDH levels, but not with overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The high specificity of the serum HER 2 ECD assay in predicting tissue HER 2 status suggests its potential as a surrogate marker of the HER 2 status in gastric cancer.

  6. Imaging and biodistribution of Her2/neu expression in non-small cell lung cancer xenografts with 64Cu-labeled trastuzumab PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paudyal, P.; Paudyal, B.; Hanaoka, Hirofumi

    2010-01-01

    Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) overexpress the Her2/neu gene in approximately 59% of cases. Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody, interferes with Her2 signaling and is approved for the treatment of Her2/neu overexpressing breast cancer. However, its therapeutic use in Her2/neu overexpressing NSCLC remains obscure. The present study aimed to determine the role of 64 Cu-labeled trastuzumab positron emission tomography (PET) for non-invasive imaging of Her2/neu expression in NSCLC. Trastuzumab was conjugated with the bifunctional chelator 1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) and radiolabeled with 64 Cu. The molecular specificity of DOTA-trastuzumab was determined in NSCLC cell lines with Her2/neu overexpression (NCI-H2170) and negative expression (NCI-H520). Imaging of Her2/neu expression was performed in NCI-H2170 tumor-bearing mice with 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET and 64 Cu-DOTA-immunoglobulin G (IgG). In vitro studies revealed specific binding of DOTA-trastuzumab in the Her2/neu positive NCI-H2170 cells, while no binding was seen in the Her2/neu negative NCI-H520 cell line. Biodistribution and PET studies revealed a significantly high accumulation of 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab in the Her2/neu overexpressing NCI-H2170 tumor at 24 and 48 h post-injection (21.4±1.4% and 23.2±5.1% injection dose/gram (% ID/g), respectively). PET imaging of Her2/neu negative NCI-H520 tumors showed much less uptake of 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab (4.0% ID/g). The NCI-H2170 tumor uptake of 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab was significantly higher than that of 64 Cu-DOTA-IgG (P 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab showed a very clear image of a Her2/neu positive tumor and appeared to be effective as a PET tracer for imaging of Her2/neu gene expression in NSCLC, suggesting its potential clinical use for identifying patients that might benefit from trastuzumab-based therapy. (author)

  7. HER2 overexpression elicits a pro-inflammatory IL-6 autocrine signaling loop that is critical for tumorigenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartman, Zachary C.; Yang, Xiao-Yi; Glass, Oliver; Lei, Gangjun; Osada, Takuya; Dave, Sandeep S.; Morse, Michael A.; Clay, Timothy M.; Lyerly, Herbert Kim

    2011-01-01

    HER2 overexpression occurs in ~25% of breast cancers where it correlates with poor prognosis. Likewise, systemic inflammation in breast cancer correlates with poor prognosis although the process is not understood. In this study, we explored the relationship between HER2 and inflammation, comparing the effects of overexpressing wild-type or mutated inactive forms of HER2 in primary human breast cells. Wild-type HER2 elicited a profound transcriptional inflammatory profile, including marked elevation of IL-6 expression, which we established to be a critical determinant of HER2 oncogenesis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that IL-6 secretion induced by HER2 overexpression activated Stat3 and altered gene expression, enforcing an autocrine loop of IL-6/Stat3 expression. Both mouse and human in vivo models of HER2 amplified breast carcinoma relied critically on this HER2-IL-6-Stat3 signaling pathway. Our studies offer the first direct evidence linking HER2 to a systemic inflammatory mechanism that orchestrates HER2-mediated tumor growth. We suggest that the HER2-IL6-STAT3 signaling axis we have defined in breast cancer could prompt new therapeutic or prevention strategies for treatment of HER2-amplified cancers. PMID:21518778

  8. An Antibody That Locks HER3 in the Inactive Conformation Inhibits Tumor Growth Driven by HER2 or Neuregulin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garner, Andrew P.; Bialucha, Carl U.; Sprague, Elizabeth R.; Garrett, Joan T.; Sheng, Qing; Li, Sharon; Sineshchekova, Olga; Saxena, Parmita; Sutton, Cammie R.; Chen, Dongshu; Chen, Yan; Wang, Huiqin; Liang, Jinsheng; Das, Rita; Mosher, Rebecca; Gu, Jian; Huang, Alan; Haubst, Nicole; Zehetmeier, Carolin; Haberl, Manuela; Elis, Winfried; Kunz, Christian; Heidt, Analeah B.; Herlihy, Kara; Murtie, Joshua; Schuller, Alwin; Arteaga, Carlos L.; Sellers, William R.; Ettenberg, Seth A. (Novartis)

    2013-08-08

    HER2/HER3 dimerization resulting from overexpression of HER2 or neuregulin (NRG1) in cancer leads to HER3-mediated oncogenic activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Although ligand-blocking HER3 antibodies inhibit NRG1-driven tumor growth, they are ineffective against HER2-driven tumor growth because HER2 activates HER3 in a ligand-independent manner. In this study, we describe a novel HER3 monoclonal antibody (LJM716) that can neutralize multiple modes of HER3 activation, making it a superior candidate for clinical translation as a therapeutic candidate. LJM716 was a potent inhibitor of HER3/AKT phosphorylation and proliferation in HER2-amplified and NRG1-expressing cancer cells, and it displayed single-agent efficacy in tumor xenograft models. Combining LJM716 with agents that target HER2 or EGFR produced synergistic antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. In particular, combining LJM716 with trastuzumab produced a more potent inhibition of signaling and cell proliferation than trastuzumab/pertuzumab combinations with similar activity in vivo. To elucidate its mechanism of action, we solved the structure of LJM716 bound to HER3, finding that LJM716 bound to an epitope, within domains 2 and 4, that traps HER3 in an inactive conformation. Taken together, our findings establish that LJM716 possesses a novel mechanism of action that, in combination with HER2- or EGFR-targeted agents, may leverage their clinical efficacy in ErbB-driven cancers.

  9. Pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of neratinib in HER2-positive breast cancer and breast cancer with HER2 mutations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kourie, Hampig Raphael; Chaix, Marie; Gombos, Andrea; Aftimos, Phillippe; Awada, Ahmad

    2016-08-01

    Despite the availability of several potent HER2-directed targeted agents, primary and acquired resistance continues to influence patient outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer. Neratinib is an irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor in late-phase clinical development. This review article focuses on neratinib in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer - early and metastatic stage - and HER2-mutant breast cancer, with particular emphasis on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug. The phase III ExteNET trial shows that neratinib improves 2-year invasive disease-free survival after trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer, and in particular HER2+/HR+ tumors. Survival data are awaited. The investigational role of neratinib in high-risk patients or conversely in de-escalation dual regimens with other anti-HER2 therapies and without chemotherapy are of interest. Phase II trials show that neratinib has efficacy, either as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic or endocrine agents, in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and in tumors harboring HER2 mutations. The role of neratinib in therapeutic algorithms of HER2-positive patients, as well as delaying CNS events, awaits the results of ongoing trials such as NALA. Diarrhea, the main toxicity of neratinib, can be effectively managed with early loperamide prophylaxis.

  10. Medico-economic impact of MSKCC non-sentinel node prediction nomogram for ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélène Bonsang-Kitzis

    Full Text Available Avoiding axillary lymph node dissection (ALND for invasive breast cancers with isolated tumor cells or micrometastatic sentinel node biopsy (SNB could decrease morbidity with minimal clinical significance.The aim of this study is to simulate the medico-economic impact of the routine use of the MSKCC non-sentinel node (NSN prediction nomogram for ER+ HER2- breast cancer patients.We studied 1036 ER+ HER2- breast cancer patients with a metastatic SNB. All had a complementary ALND. For each patient, we calculated the probability of the NSN positivity using the MSKCC nomogram. After validation of this nomogram in the population, we described how the patients' characteristics spread as the threshold value changed. Then, we performed an economic simulation study to estimate the total cost of caring for patients treated according to the MSKCC predictive nomogram results.A 0.3 threshold discriminate the type of sentinel node (SN metastases: 98.8% of patients with pN0(i+ and 91.6% of patients with pN1(mic had a MSKCC score under 0.3 (false negative rate = 6.4%. If we use the 0.3 threshold for economic simulation, 43% of ALND could be avoided, reducing the costs of caring by 1 051 980 EUROS among the 1036 patients.We demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of using the MSKCC NSN prediction nomogram by avoiding ALND for the pN0(i+ or pN1(mic ER+ HER2- breast cancer patients with a MSKCC score of less than or equal to 0.3.

  11. Evaluating TIMP-1, Ki67, and HER2 as markers for non-sentinel node metastases in breast cancer patients with micrometastases to the sentinel node

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tvedskov, Tove Filtenborg; Bartels, Annette; Jensen, Maj-Britt

    2011-01-01

    The aim was to investigate whether the biochemical prognostic markers TIMP-1, Ki67, and HER2 could predict metastatic spread to non-sentinel nodes (NSN) in breast cancer patients with micrometastases to sentinel node (SN). We included all breast cancer patients with micrometastases to SN operated...... between 2001 and 2007 at the Department of Breast Surgery, Herlev Hospital. The study was designed as a matched case-control study with 25 cases with micrometastases to SN and, in addition, metastatic spread to NSN and 50 matched controls with micrometastases to SN, but without NSN metastases. Patient...

  12. HER-2 Pulsed Dendritic Cell Vaccine Can Eliminate HER-2 Expression and Impact DCIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Anupama; Koldovsky, Ursula; Xu, Shuwen; Mick, Rosemarie; Roses, Robert; Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth; Weinstein, Susan; Nisenbaum, Harvey; Levine, Bruce L; Fox, Kevin; Zhang, Paul; Koski, Gary; Czerniecki, Brian J

    2011-01-01

    Background HER-2/neu over-expression plays a critical role in breast cancer development and its expression in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is associated with development of invasive breast cancer. A vaccine targeting HER-2/neu expression in DCIS may initiate immunity against invasive cancer. Methods A HER-2/neu dendritic cell (DC) vaccine was administered to 27 patients with HER-2/neu over-expressing DCIS. The HER-2/neu vaccine was administered prior to surgical resection and pre- and post-vaccination analysis was conducted to assess clinical results. Results At surgery, 5 of 27 (18.5%) vaccinated subjects had no evidence of remaining disease, while among 22 subjects with residual DCIS, HER-2/neu expression was eradicated in 11 (50%). When comparing ERneg with ERpos DCIS lesions, vaccination was more effective in hormone-independent DCIS. Following vaccination, no residual DCIS was found in 40% of ERneg subjects compared to 5.9% in ERpos subject. Sustained HER-2/neu expression was found in 10% of ERneg subjects compared to 47.1% in ERpos subjects (p=0.04). Post-vaccination phenotypes were significantly different between ERpos and ERneg subjects (p=0.01), with 7 of 16 (43.8%) initially presenting with ERpos HER-2/neupos Luminal B phenotype finishing with the ERpos HER-2/neuneg Luminal A phenotype, and 3 of 6 (50%) with the ERneg HER-2/neupos phenotype changing to the ERneg HER-2/neuneg phenotype. Conclusions Results suggest vaccination against HER-2/neu is safe, well-tolerated and induces decline and or eradication of HER-2/neu expression. These findings warrant further exploration of HER-2/neu vaccination in estrogen-independent breast cancer and highlight the need to target additional tumor associated antigens and pathways. PMID:22252842

  13. The dynamics of HER2 status in esophageal adenocarcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creemers, Aafke; Ebbing, Eva A; Hooijer, Gerrit K J; Stap, Lisanne; Jibodh-Mulder, Rajni A; Gisbertz, Susanne S; van Berge Henegouwen, Mark I; van Montfoort, Maurits L; Hulshof, Maarten C C M; Krishnadath, Kausilia K; van Oijen, Martijn G H; Bijlsma, Maarten F; Meijer, Sybren L; van Laarhoven, Hanneke W M

    2018-06-01

    Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against HER2, has become standard of care for metastatic HER2-overexpressing esophagogastric adenocarcinoma and is currently investigated as (neo)adjuvant treatment option in HER2-positive esophagogastric adenocarcinoma. The HER2 status is commonly determined on archived material of the primary tumor. However, this status may change over the course of treatment or disease progression. The aim of this study was to assess the dynamics of HER2 status in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in patients with resectable and recurrent disease, and to determine the associations of these changes with clinical outcome. Discordance, defined as any change in HER2 status between matched biopsy and post-neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy resection specimen ( N = 170), or between matched resection specimen and recurrence of patients not eligible for curative treatment ( N = 61), was determined using the standardized HER2 status scoring system. Clinically relevant positive discordance was defined as a change to HER2 positive status, as this would imply eligibility for HER2-targeted therapy. A difference in HER2 status between biopsy and resection specimen and resection specimen and metachronous recurrence was observed in 2.1% ( n = 3) and 3.3% ( n = 2) of the paired cases, respectively. Clinically relevant discordance was detected in 1.4% ( n = 2) of the resectable patients and 1.6% ( n = 1) of the patients with recurrent disease. Patients with HER2-positive status tumors before start of neoadjuvant treatment showed better overall survival, but not statistically significant. No association between HER2 status discordance and survival was found. Clinically relevant HER2 status discordance was observed and in order to prevent under-treatment of patients, the assessment of HER2 status in the metastatic setting should preferably be performed on the most recently developed lesions if the previous HER2 assessment on archival material of the primary tumor

  14. HER2 status predicts for upfront AI benefit: A TRANS-AIOG meta-analysis of 12,129 patients from ATAC, BIG 1-98 and TEAM with centrally determined HER2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartlett, John M S; Ahmed, Ikhlaaq; Regan, Meredith M; Sestak, Ivana; Mallon, Elizabeth A; Dell'Orto, Patrizia; Thürlimann, Beat; Seynaeve, Caroline; Putter, Hein; Van de Velde, Cornelis J H; Brookes, Cassandra L; Forbes, John F; Viale, Giuseppe; Cuzick, Jack; Dowsett, Mitchell; Rea, Daniel W

    2017-07-01

    A meta-analysis of the effects of HER2 status, specifically within the first 2-3 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy, has the potential to inform patient selection for upfront aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy or switching strategy tamoxifen followed by AI. The pre-existing standardisation of methodology for HER2 (immunohistochemistry/fluorescence in situ hybridization) facilitates analysis of existing data for this key marker. Following a prospectively designed statistical analysis plan, patient data from 3 phase III trials Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination Trial (ATAC), Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 and Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multicentre Trial (TEAM)] comparing an AI to tamoxifen during the first 2-3 years of adjuvant endocrine treatment were collected and a treatment-by-marker analysis of distant recurrence-free interval-censored at 2-3 years treatment - for HER2 status × AI versus tamoxifen treatment was performed to address the clinical question relating to efficacy of 'upfront' versus 'switch' strategies for AIs. A prospectively planned, patient-level data meta-analysis across 3 trials demonstrated a significant treatment (AI versus tamoxifen) by marker (HER2) interaction in a multivariate analysis; (interaction hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61, 95% CI 1.01-2.57; p data meta-analysis demonstrated a significant interaction between HER2 status and treatment with AI versus tamoxifen in the first 2-3 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy. Patients with HER2-ve cancers experienced improved outcomes (distant relapse) when treated with upfront AI rather than tamoxifen, whilst patients with HER2+ve cancers fared no better or slightly worse in the first 2-3 years. However, the small number of HER2+ve cancers/events may explain a large degree of heterogeneity in the HER2+ve groups across all 3 trials. Other causes, perhaps related to subtle differences between AIs, cannot be excluded and warrant further exploration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

  15. Microwave enhancement of CISH for HER2 oncogene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Anthony S Y; Haffajee, Zenobia; Clarke, Megan

    2007-03-01

    We describe a modification to the prescribed procedure for the Zymed Spot-Light HER2 chromogenic in situ hybridization kit (84-0146, Zymed Laboratories, San Francisco, CA) by substituting the heat pretreatment step with MW irradiation in citrate buffer 10 mmol/L at pH 6.0 at 98 degrees C for 10 minutes and repeating the procedure afterenzyme digestion with time and temperature controlled in the Mega T/ T oven (Milestone s.r.l., Sorisole, Italy). The subsequent procedure leading up to hybridized was as per manufacturer's instructions. Invasive breast carcinoma previously scored by immunohistochemistry for HER2, comprising 18 cases of 3+, 18 cases of 2+, and 12 cases of 1+, were examined by chromogenic in situ hybridization using this modified procedure, with a parallel set of cases examined by the prescribed Zymed method. The introduction of the "MW retrieval" steps resulted in consistently a greater number of hybridization signals in amplified tumor cells with benign epithelial cells and lymphocytes displaying 2 clear dots compared with the weaker and less consistent signals obtained with the standard procedure. MW exposed sections showed larger numbers of large and small clusters that often allowed identification of amplified tumors without having to count single dots with crisp staining and absence of background precipitation.

  16. HER 2/neu protein expression in colorectal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuell, B; Gruenberger, T; Scheithauer, W; Zielinski, Ch; Wrba, F

    2006-01-01

    Conflicting data exist about the prevalence of HER-2/neu overexpression in colorectal cancer ranging from 0 to 83 %. In our study we tried to clarify the extent of expression and its relationship to clinicopathological parameters. This study involved 77 specimens of malignant colorectal cancer lesions of surgically resected patients. HER-2/neu immunohistochemistry was performed using the Hercep-Test Kit. Out of 77 specimens, 56 were Her-2/neu negative (70%), 20 (26%) showed a barely immunostaining (1+), only 1 (1%) was moderately (2+) and 2 (3%) were strongly positive (3+). Her-2/neu staining (moderately and strongly positive) was only detected in primary tumours of patients with confirmed metastases. No relationship was found between membranous HER-2 expression and patients' gender or differentiation. The median survival time of patients with positive HER-2/neu immunostaining was 21 versus 39 months in patients without HER-2/neu expression (p = 0.088). The c-erbB protein expression was observed in colorectal cancer but rarely in the therapeutic range (2+ and 3+). There was no significant association with tumour grade, gender, localization of the primary tumour or survival. These data indicate that c-erbB-2 is unlikely to play a major role in the therapeutic management of colorectal cancer

  17. Emerging technologies for assessing HER2 amplification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Penault-Llorca, Frédérique; Bilous, Michael; Dowsett, Mitch; Hanna, Wedad; Osamura, Robert Yoshiyuki; Rüschoff, Josef; van de Vijver, Marc

    2009-01-01

    Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)+ breast cancer are eligible for trastuzumab treatment; therefore, accurate assessment of HER2 status is essential. Until recently, only 2 methods were validated for determining the HER2 status of breast tumors in the routine diagnostic

  18. Neratinib Efficacy and Circulating Tumor DNA Detection of HER2 Mutations in HER2 Nonamplified Metastatic Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Cynthia X; Bose, Ron; Gao, Feng; Freedman, Rachel A; Telli, Melinda L; Kimmick, Gretchen; Winer, Eric; Naughton, Michael; Goetz, Matthew P; Russell, Christy; Tripathy, Debu; Cobleigh, Melody; Forero, Andres; Pluard, Timothy J; Anders, Carey; Niravath, Polly Ann; Thomas, Shana; Anderson, Jill; Bumb, Caroline; Banks, Kimberly C; Lanman, Richard B; Bryce, Richard; Lalani, Alshad S; Pfeifer, John; Hayes, Daniel F; Pegram, Mark; Blackwell, Kimberly; Bedard, Philippe L; Al-Kateb, Hussam; Ellis, Matthew J C

    2017-10-01

    Purpose: Based on promising preclinical data, we conducted a single-arm phase II trial to assess the clinical benefit rate (CBR) of neratinib, defined as complete/partial response (CR/PR) or stable disease (SD) ≥24 weeks, in HER2 mut nonamplified metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) HER2 mut detection. Experimental Design: Tumor tissue positive for HER2 mut was required for eligibility. Neratinib was administered 240 mg daily with prophylactic loperamide. ctDNA sequencing was performed retrospectively for 54 patients (14 positive and 40 negative for tumor HER2 mut ). Results: Nine of 381 tumors (2.4%) sequenced centrally harbored HER2 mut (lobular 7.8% vs. ductal 1.6%; P = 0.026). Thirteen additional HER2 mut cases were identified locally. Twenty-one of these 22 HER2 mut cases were estrogen receptor positive. Sixteen patients [median age 58 (31-74) years and three (2-10) prior metastatic regimens] received neratinib. The CBR was 31% [90% confidence interval (CI), 13%-55%], including one CR, one PR, and three SD ≥24 weeks. Median PFS was 16 (90% CI, 8-31) weeks. Diarrhea (grade 2, 44%; grade 3, 25%) was the most common adverse event. Baseline ctDNA sequencing identified the same HER2 mut in 11 of 14 tumor-positive cases (sensitivity, 79%; 90% CI, 53%-94%) and correctly assigned 32 of 32 informative negative cases (specificity, 100%; 90% CI, 91%-100%). In addition, ctDNA HER2 mut variant allele frequency decreased in nine of 11 paired samples at week 4, followed by an increase upon progression. Conclusions: Neratinib is active in HER2 mut , nonamplified MBC. ctDNA sequencing offers a noninvasive strategy to identify patients with HER2 mut cancers for clinical trial participation. Clin Cancer Res; 23(19); 5687-95. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  19. HER2 induces cell proliferation and invasion of non-small-cell lung cancer by upregulating COX-2 expression via MEK/ERK signaling pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi F

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Feng Chi, Rong Wu, Xueying Jin, Min Jiang, Xike Zhu Department of Medical Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People’s Republic of China Abstract: HER2 positivity has been well studied in various cancers, but its importance in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC is still being explored. In this study, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR was performed to detect HER2 and COX-2 expression in NSCLC tissues. Then, pcDNA3.1-HER2 was used to overexpress HER2, while HER2 siRNA and COX-2 siRNA were used to silence HER2 and COX-2 expression. MTT assay and invasion assay were used to detect the effects of HER2 on cell proliferation and invasion. Our study revealed that HER2 and COX-2 expression were upregulated in NSCLC tissues and HER2 exhibited a significant positive correlation with the levels of COX-2 expression. Overexpression of HER2 evidently elevated COX-2 expression, while silencing of HER2 evidently decreased COX-2 expression. Furthermore, overexpressed HER2 induced the ERK phosphorylation, and this was abolished by the treatment with U0126, a pharmacological inhibitor of MEK, an upstream kinase of ERK. HER2-induced expression and promoter activity of COX-2 were also suppressed by U0126, suggesting that the MEK/ERK signaling pathway regulates COX-2 expression. In addition, HER2 induced activation of AKT signaling pathway, which was reversed by pretreatment with U0126 and COX-2 siRNA. MTT and invasion assays revealed that HER2 induced cell proliferation and invasion that were reversed by pretreatment with U0126 and COX-2 siRNA. In this study, our results demonstrated for the first time that HER2 elevated COX-2 expression through the activation of MEK/ERK pathway, which subsequently induced cell proliferation and invasion via AKT pathway in NSCLC tissues. Keywords: HER2, MEK/ERK, COX-2, AKT signaling pathway, non-small-cell lung cancer

  20. Cardiotoxicity of novel HER2-targeted therapies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sendur, Mehmet A N; Aksoy, Sercan; Altundag, Kadri

    2013-08-01

    Trastuzumab, an anti-HER2 humanized monoclonal antibody, is the standard treatment for both early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. In addition to other chemotherapeutic agents, trastuzumab significantly improves response rate and survival in HER2-positive early and metastatic breast cancer. Although it is well known that trastuzumab therapy is closely associated with both symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiotoxicity, less is known about novel HER2-targeted therapies. The aim of this review is to discuss the cardiac safety data from recent studies of novel anti-HER2 drugs other than trastuzumab. Novel HER2-targeted therapies showed favorable results in HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Pubmed database, ASCO and San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Meeting abstracts were searched until January 2013 using the following search keywords; 'trastuzumab, trastuzumab cardiotoxicity, HER-2 targeted therapies, lapatinib, pertuzumab, trastuzumab emtansine, afatinib and neratinib'; papers which were considered relevant for the aim of this review were selected by the authors. Lapatinib, pertuzumab, T-DM1, neratinib and afatinib molecules are evaluated in the study. In a comprehensive analysis, 3689 lapatinib treated patients enrolled in 49 trials; asymptomatic cardiac events were reported in 53 patients (1.4%) and symptomatic grade III and IV systolic dysfunction was observed only in 7 patients (0.2%) treated with lapatinib. In phase I-III trials of pertuzumab, cardiac dysfunction was seen in 4.5-14.5% of patients with pertuzumab treatment and cardiac dysfunction was usually grade I and II. Cardiotoxicity of pertuzumab was usually reported with the trastuzumab combination and no additive cardiotoxicity was reported with addition of pertuzumab to trastuzumab. T-DM1 had a better safety profile compared to trastuzumab, no significant cardiotoxicity was observed with T-DM1 in heavily pre-treated patients. In the EMILIA study, only in 1.7% of patients in the T

  1. Correlation of HER2 overexpression with gene amplification and its relation to chromosome 17 aneuploidy: a 5-year experience with invasive ductal and lobular carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nassar, Aziza; Khoor, Andras; Radhakrishnan, Reshmitha; Radhakrishnan, Anu; Cohen, Cynthia

    2014-01-01

    The HER2 oncogene shows expression or amplification, or both, in approximately 15% to 20% of breast cancers and has been associated with poor prognosis and a response to trastuzumab therapy. HER2 gene status determines the eligibility of breast cancer patients for trastuzumab therapy and a large fraction (41-56%) of these patients respond to targeted therapy. Several studies have related the increased expression of HER2 to an increased copy number of chromosome 17, rather than amplification of the HER2 gene. We compared the results of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization in both invasive ductal and invasive lobular carcinomas, to determine the frequency of chromosome 17 aneuploidy associated with discordant results. In total, 390 invasive ductal carcinomas and 180 invasive lobular carcinomas diagnosed from January 2000 to December 2005 were included in the study only if results were available for immunohistochemistry (HercepTest; DAKO, Carpinteria, California) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (PathVysion HER2 DNA Probe Kit; Abbott Laboratories, Des Plaines, Illinois). Tumors classified as invasive ductal carcinomas were graded according to the Bloom-Richardson grading system. Correlation between the results of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed for all categories. Among invasive ductal carcinomas, 29% (115/390) showed chromosome 17 aneuploidy, mostly associated with grade 3/HER2 2+ (45%) or grade 2/HER2 3+ (55%) that were not amplified. Also, 34% (12/35) of invasive lobular carcinomas showed chromosome 17 aneuploidy; approximately one-third of these cases were HER2 2+ (33%) and HER2 3+ (37%) that were not amplified. Discordance between the results of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization in both ductal and lobular carcinomas is largely associated with chromosome 17 aneuploidy.

  2. Analysis of EGFR, HER2, and TOP2A gene status and chromosomal polysomy in gastric adenocarcinoma from Chinese patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Zhiyong; Zeng, Xuan; Gao, Jie; Wu, Shafei; Wang, Peng; Shi, Xiaohua; Zhang, Jing; Liu, Tonghua

    2008-01-01

    The EGFR and HER2 genes are located on chromosomes 7 and 17, respectively. They are therapeutic targets in some tumors. The TOP2A gene, which is located near HER2 on chromosome 17, is the target of many chemotherapeutic agents, and co-amplification of HER2 and TOP2A has been described in several tumor types. Herein, we investigated the gene status of EGFR, HER2, and TOP2A in Chinese gastric carcinoma patients. We determined the rate of polysomy for chromosomes 7 and 17, and we attempted to clarify the relationship between EGFR, HER2, and TOP2A gene copy number and increased expression of their encoded proteins. Furthermore, we tried to address the relationship between alterations in EGFR, HER2, and TOP2A and chromosome polysomy. One hundred cases of formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tumor tissues from Chinese gastric carcinoma patients were investigated by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods. Forty-two percent of the cases showed EGFR overexpression; 16% showed EGFR FISH positive; 6% showed HER2 overexpression; and 11% showed HER2 gene amplification, including all six HER2 overexpression cases. TOP2A nuclear staining (nuclear index, NI) was determined in all 100 tumors: NI values ranged from 0.5 – 90%. Three percent of the tumors showed TOP2A gene amplification, which were all accompanied by HER2 gene amplification. Nineteen percent of the tumors showed chromosome 7 polysomy, and 16% showed chromosome 17 polysomy. Chromosome 7 polysomy correlated significantly with EGFR FISH-positivity, but was not associated with EGFR overexpression. HER2 overexpression associated significantly with HER2 gene amplification. TOP2A gene amplification was significantly associated with HER2 gene amplification. No relationship was found between alterations in the EGFR, HER2, and TOP2A genes and clinicopathologic variables of gastric carcinoma. The data from our study suggest that chromosome 7 polysomy may be responsible for increased EGFR

  3. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH): a novel alternative in screening archival breast cancer tissue samples for HER-2/neu status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madrid, Manuelito A; Lo, Raymundo W

    2004-01-01

    Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) is emerging as a practical, cost-effective, and valid alternative to fluorescent in situ hybridization in testing for gene alteration, especially in centers primarily working with immunohistochemistry (IHC). We assessed Her-2/neu alteration using CISH on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary invasive ductal carcinoma tumors in which IHC (CB11 antibody) had previously been performed, and we compared the results with IHC. The 160 selected cases were equally stratified randomly into the four IHC categories (scores of 0, 1+, 2+, and 3+). We also compared age at diagnosis and tumor histologic grade with IHC and CISH Her-2/neu. We were able to perform and evaluate CISH successfully on all cases. The agreement between 3+ IHC and CISH-amplified cases as well as between all IHC and CISH Her-2/neu negative cases was 100%, and the concordance on all positive cases was 72.50%, with an overall agreement of 86.25%. All the discordant cases had 2+ IHC scores. Although we noted Her-2/neu positivity more in premenopausal women, the age at diagnosis was not significantly associated with IHC or CISH results. Similarly, although the small group of well-differentiated tumors was apparently Her-2/neu negative in both tests, no significant association was noted between any tumor histologic grade and either IHC or CISH results. CISH is easily integrated into routine testing in our laboratory. It is a necessary adjunct in determining the subset of non-amplified IHC-positive invasive tumors that will not benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Those cases with 2+ IHC results will be triaged and subjected to CISH. Her-2/neu testing should be done on all breast cancer cases regardless of age at presentation and tumor histologic grade.

  4. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH): a novel alternative in screening archival breast cancer tissue samples for HER-2/neu status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madrid, Manuelito A; Lo, Raymundo W

    2004-01-01

    Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) is emerging as a practical, cost-effective, and valid alternative to fluorescent in situ hybridization in testing for gene alteration, especially in centers primarily working with immunohistochemistry (IHC). We assessed Her-2/neu alteration using CISH on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary invasive ductal carcinoma tumors in which IHC (CB11 antibody) had previously been performed, and we compared the results with IHC. The 160 selected cases were equally stratified randomly into the four IHC categories (scores of 0, 1+, 2+, and 3+). We also compared age at diagnosis and tumor histologic grade with IHC and CISH Her-2/neu. We were able to perform and evaluate CISH successfully on all cases. The agreement between 3+ IHC and CISH-amplified cases as well as between all IHC and CISH Her-2/neu negative cases was 100%, and the concordance on all positive cases was 72.50%, with an overall agreement of 86.25%. All the discordant cases had 2+ IHC scores. Although we noted Her-2/neu positivity more in premenopausal women, the age at diagnosis was not significantly associated with IHC or CISH results. Similarly, although the small group of well-differentiated tumors was apparently Her-2/neu negative in both tests, no significant association was noted between any tumor histologic grade and either IHC or CISH results. CISH is easily integrated into routine testing in our laboratory. It is a necessary adjunct in determining the subset of non-amplified IHC-positive invasive tumors that will not benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Those cases with 2+ IHC results will be triaged and subjected to CISH. Her-2/neu testing should be done on all breast cancer cases regardless of age at presentation and tumor histologic grade

  5. Emerging technologies for HER2 testing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Vijver, Marc

    2002-01-01

    HER2-positive status is the sole criterion for identifying patients with breast cancer for Herceptin therapy, which has known efficacy in women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), which measure the HER2 protein and gene,

  6. The correlation between dual-color chromogenic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization in assessing HER2 gene amplification in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Marianne; Rasmussen, Birgitte Bruun

    2009-01-01

    and the generated chromogenic signals are also stable. This study presents a dual color CISH for simultaneous detection of the HER2 gene and chromosome 17. The CISH method performs a chromogenic detection "on top" of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved HER2 FISH pharmDx method, where the fluorochrome......-labeled probes are detected using enzyme-labeled antibodies and visualized by chromogenic enzymatic reactions. The HER2 status (amplified/not amplified and HER2 ratios) was evaluated by the CISH method and compared with results obtained by the FDA-approved FISH method. Of the 72 successfully investigated...

  7. The Lifetime Economic Burden of Inaccurate HER2 Testing: Estimating the Costs of False-Positive and False-Negative HER2 Test Results in US Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrison, Louis P; Babigumira, Joseph B; Masaquel, Anthony; Wang, Bruce C M; Lalla, Deepa; Brammer, Melissa

    2015-06-01

    Patients with breast cancer whose tumors test positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are treated with HER2-targeted therapies such as trastuzumab, but limitations with HER2 testing may lead to false-positive (FP) or false-negative (FN) results. To develop a US-level model to estimate the effect of tumor misclassification on health care costs and patient quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Decision analysis was used to estimate the number of patients with early-stage breast cancer (EBC) whose HER2 status was misclassified in 2012. FP results were assumed to generate unnecessary trastuzumab costs and unnecessary cases of trastuzumab-related cardiotoxicity. FN results were assumed to save money on trastuzumab, but with a loss of QALYs and greater risk of disease recurrence and its associated costs. QALYs were valued at $100,000 under a net monetary benefit approach. Among 226,870 women diagnosed with EBC in 2012, 3.12% (n = 7,070) and 2.18% (n = 4,955) were estimated to have had FP and FN test results, respectively. Approximately 8400 QALYs (discounted, lifetime) were lost among women not receiving trastuzumab because of FN results. The estimated incremental per-patient lifetime burden of FP or FN results was $58,900 and $116,000, respectively. The implied incremental losses to society were $417 million and $575 million, respectively. HER2 tests result in misclassification and nonoptimal treatment of approximately 12,025 US patients with EBC annually. The total economic societal loss of nearly $1 billion suggests that improvements in HER2 testing accuracy are needed and that further clinical and economic studies are warranted. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. NSCLC and HER2: between lights and shadows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricciardi, Giuseppina Rosaria Rita; Russo, Alessandro; Franchina, Tindara; Ferraro, Giuseppa; Zanghì, Mariangela; Picone, Antonio; Scimone, Antonino; Adamo, Vincenzo

    2014-12-01

    The therapeutic landscape of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has dramatically changed in the last few years with the introduction of molecularly targeted agents, leading to unprecedented results in lung tumors with a paradigmatic shift from a "one size fits all" approach to an histologic and molecular-based approach. The discovery of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in NSCLC in 2004 and the marked response to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib, in a small subset of patients harboring these genetic abnormalities, stimulated the study of other kinase mutants involvement in NSCLC. The incredible story of ALK rearranged tumors, with the rapid Food and Drug Administration approval of Crizotinib after only 4 years from the discovery of EML4-ALK translocation in NSCLC, has profoundly influenced the concept of drug development in NSCLC, paving the way to a novel series of molecularly selected studies with specific inhibitors. The identification of these oncogenic drivers has dramatically changed the genetic landscape of NSCLC moving away from the old concept of a large indistinct histological entity to a combination of rare clinically relevant molecular subsets. Recently, a renewed interest has been emerging on the human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER2) pathway. Genetic aberrations of this signaling pathway have been reported over time to be associated in NSCLC with different sensitivity to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, to have a possible prognostic role and more recently HER2 amplification has been emerged as a possible mechanism in EGFR-mutated tumors of acquired resistance to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In addition, dysregulation of the HER2 pathway, in particular HER2 mutations (mostly, in-frame exon 20 insertions), may represent a possible novel therapeutic target in NSCLC, paving the way for a new generation of targeted agents in NSCLC. Since anecdotal case reports of clinical activity of anti-HER2 agents in NSCLC

  9. [Internal quality control on HER2 status determination in breast cancers: Experience of a cancer center].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngo, Carine; Laé, Marick; Ratour, Julia; Hamel, Frédérique; Taris, Corinne; Caly, Martial; Le Cunff, Annie; Reyal, Fabien; Kirova, Youlia; Pierga, Jean-Yves; Vincent-Salomon, Anne

    The implementation of an internal quality control is mandatory to guarantee the accuracy of HER2 status in invasive breast cancers. To evaluate the impact of our quality control assurance on HER2 status results in invasive breast carcinomas from 2008 to 2014. HER2 status was determined by immunohistochemistry as the first-line indication, completed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for scores 2+ by immunohistochemistry. Internal quality control of HER2 status relied on the standardization of pre-analytical phases, the use of external controls with a known number of HER2 gene copies determined by FISH and continued monitoring of concordance between immunohistochemistry and FISH. The proportion of HER2-positive cases corresponding to scores 3+ by immunohistochemistry and 2+ amplified by FISH varied from 10.6% to 13.8% (median of 11.3%). The proportion of scores 2+ amplified by FISH varied from 13.3% to 32.7% during period of study. The rate of concordance between FISH and immunohistochemistry for score 0/1+ and 3+ cases were≥97%. Eight among 12 discordant cases were false positive resulting from errors in interpretation of immunohistochemistry (score 2+ instead of 3+). Calibration of immunohistochemistry on FISH for HER2 status contributes to limit variability of immunohistochemistry results due to technical issues or interpretation. The implementation of an external control of score 3+ on each slide enables accurate interpretation of score 2+ and 3+ by immunohistochemistry. Copyright © 2017 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  10. Dual blockade of HER2 in HER2-overexpressing tumor cells does not completely eliminate HER3 function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrett, Joan T; Sutton, Cammie R; Kuba, María Gabriela; Cook, Rebecca S; Arteaga, Carlos L

    2013-02-01

    Dual blockade of HER2 with trastuzumab and lapatinib or with pertuzumab is a superior treatment approach compared with single-agent HER2 inhibitors. However, many HER2-overexpressing breast cancers still escape from this combinatorial approach. Inhibition of HER2 and downstream phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT causes a transcriptional and posttranslational upregulation of HER3 which, in turn, counteracts the antitumor action of the HER2-directed therapies. We hypothesized that suppression of HER3 would synergize with dual blockade of HER2 in breast cancer cells sensitive and refractory to HER2 antagonists. Inhibition of HER2/HER3 in HER2(+) breast cancer cell lines was evaluated by Western blotting. We analyzed drug-induced apoptosis and two- and three-dimensional growth in vitro. Growth inhibition of PI3K was examined in vivo in xenografts treated with combinations of trastuzumab, lapatinib, and the HER3-neutralizing monoclonal antibody U3-1287. Treatment with U3-1287 blocked the upregulation of total and phosphorylated HER3 that followed treatment with lapatinib and trastuzumab and, in turn, enhanced the antitumor action of the combination against trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant cells. Mice bearing HER2(+) xenografts treated with lapatinib, trastuzumab, and U3-1287 exhibited fewer recurrences and better survival than mice treated with lapatinib and trastuzumab. Dual blockade of HER2 with trastuzumab and lapatinib does not eliminate the compensatory upregulation of HER3. Therapeutic inhibitors of HER3 should be considered as part of multidrug combinations aimed at completely and rapidly disabling the HER2 network in HER2-overexpressing breast cancers.

  11. Polymer–lipid hybrid anti-HER2 nanoparticles for targeted salinomycin delivery to HER2-positive breast cancer stem cells and cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li J

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Jun Li,1,* Wenqing Xu,2,* Xiaoli Yuan,3,* Huaiwen Chen,3 Hao Song,1,4 Bingquan Wang,5 Jun Han5 1College of Pharmacy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, 2Railway Police College, Zhengzhou, 3Department of Cadre Health Care, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 4Centre for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, 5Institute of Biopharmaceutical Research, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs are responsible for the initiation, recurrence, and metastasis of breast cancer. Sufficient evidence has established that breast cancer cells can spontaneously turn into breast CSCs. Thus, it is essential to simultaneously target breast CSCs and cancer cells to maximize the efficacy of breast cancer therapy. HER2 has been found to be overexpressed in both breast CSCs and cancer cells. We developed salinomycin-loaded polymer–lipid hybrid anti-HER2 nanoparticles (Sali-NP-HER2 to target both HER2-positive breast CSCs and cancer cells.Methods: The antitumor activity of Sali-NP-HER2 constructed by conjugating anti-HER2 antibodies to polymer–lipid salinomycin nanoparticles was evaluated in vitro and in vivo.Results: Sali-NP-HER2 efficiently bound to HER2-positive breast CSCs and cancer cells, resulting in enhanced cytotoxic effects compared with non-targeted nanoparticles or salinomycin. In mice bearing breast cancer xenografts, administration of Sali-NP-HER2 exhibited superior efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth. Sali-NP-HER2 reduced the breast tumorsphere formation rate and the proportion of breast CSCs more effectively than non-targeted nanoparticles or salinomycin alone.Conclusion: Sali-NP-HER2 represents a promising approach in treating HER2-positive breast cancer by targeting both breast CSCs and cancer cells. Keywords: nanoparticles, breast cancer, cancer stem cells, salinomycin, HER2

  12. PIK3CA mutations, PTEN, and pHER2 expression and impact on outcome in HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, J D; Knoop, Ann; Laenkholm, A V

    2012-01-01

    -stage breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and forty HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant treatment (cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2), epirubicin 60 mg/m(2), and fluorouracil 600 mg/m(2)) before administration...... of 1 year trastuzumab were assessable. PTEN and pHER2 expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry. PIK3CA mutations (exons 9 and 20) were determined by pyrosequencing. RESULTS: Five-year overall survival (OS) and invasive disease-free survival were 87.8% and 81.0%, respectively. Twenty-six percent...... activity had a significantly poorer survival despite adequate treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy and trastuzumab....

  13. [{sup 18}F]FBEM-Z{sub HER2:342}-Affibody molecule - a new molecular tracer for in vivo monitoring of HER2 expression by positron emission tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramer-Marek, Gabriela; Lee, Sang Bong; Capala, Jacek [National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (United States); Kiesewetter, Dale O.; Jagoda, Elaine [National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Bethesda, MD (United States); Martiniova, Lucia [National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD (United States)

    2008-05-15

    The expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) receptors in cancers is correlated with a poor prognosis. If assessed in vivo, it could be used for selection of appropriate therapy for individual patients and for monitoring of the tumor response to targeted therapies. We have radiolabeled a HER2-binding Affibody molecule with fluorine-18 for in vivo monitoring of the HER2 expression by positron emission tomography (PET). The HER2-binding Z{sub HER2:342}-Cys Affibody molecule was conjugated with N-2-(4-[{sup 18}F]fluorobenzamido)ethylmaleimide ([{sup 18}F]FBEM). The in vitro binding of the resulting radioconjugate was characterized by receptor saturation and competition assays. For in vivo studies, the radioconjugate was injected into the tail vein of mice bearing subcutaneous HER2-positive or HER2-negative tumors. Some of the mice were pre-treated with non-labeled Z{sub HER2:342}-Cys. The animals were sacrificed at different times post-injection, and the radioactivity in selected tissues was measured. PET images were obtained using an animal PET scanner. In vitro experiments indicated specific, high-affinity binding to HER2. PET imaging revealed a high accumulation of the radioactivity in the tumor as early as 20 min after injection, with a plateau being reached after 60 min. These results were confirmed by biodistribution studies demonstrating that, as early as 1 h post-injection, the tumor to blood concentration ratio was 7.5 and increased to 27 at 4 h. Pre-saturation of the receptors with unlabeled Z{sub HER2:342}-Cys lowered the accumulation of radioactivity in HER2-positive tumors to the levels observed in HER2-negative ones. Our results suggest that the [{sup 18}F]FBEM-Z{sub HER2:342} radioconjugate can be used to assess HER2 expression in vivo. (orig.)

  14. The role of neratinib in HER2-driven breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherian, Mathew A; Ma, Cynthia X

    2017-06-30

    Up to 25% of patients with early-stage HER2+ breast cancer relapse despite adjuvant trastuzumab-based regimens and virtually all patients with metastatic disease eventually die from resistance to existing treatment options. In addition, recent studies indicate that activating HER2 mutations without gene amplification could drive tumor growth in a subset of HER2-ve breast cancer that is not currently eligible for HER2-targeted agents. Neratinib is an irreversible HER kinase inhibitor with activity as extended adjuvant therapy following standard trastuzumab-based adjuvant treatment in a Phase III trial. Phase II trials of neratinib demonstrate promising activity in combination with cytotoxic agents in trastuzumab resistant metastatic HER2+ breast cancer, and either as monotherapy or in combination with fulvestrant for HER2-mutated breast cancers. We anticipate a potential role for neratinib in the therapy of these patient populations.

  15. HER2 and TOP2A in high-risk early breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant epirubicin-based dose-dense sequential chemotherapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fountzilas George

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background HER2 and TOP2A parameters (gene status, mRNA and protein expression have individually been associated with the outcome of patients treated with anthracyclines. The aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the prognostic/predictive significance of the above parameters in early, high-risk breast cancer patients treated with epirubicin-based, dose-dense sequential adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods In a series of 352 breast carcinoma tissues from patients that had been post-operatively treated with epirubicin-CMF with or without paclitaxel, we assessed HER2 and TOP2A gene status (chromogenic in situ hybridization, mRNA expression (quantitative reverse transcription PCR, as well as HER2 and TopoIIa protein expression (immunohistochemistry. Results HER2 and TOP2A amplification did not share the same effects on their downstream molecules, with consistent patterns observed in HER2 mRNA and protein expression according to HER2 amplification (all parameters strongly inter-related, p values Conclusions This study confirms the favorable prognostic value of HER2/TOP2A co-amplification and the adverse prognostic value of high TOP2A mRNA expression extending it to the adjuvant treatment setting in early high-risk breast cancer. The strong adverse prognostic impact of high HER2/TOP2A mRNA co-expression needs further validation in studies designed to evaluate markers predictive for anthracyclines. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000506998.

  16. Durable Clinical Benefit of Pertuzumab in a Young Patient with BRCA2 Mutation and HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer Involving the Brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Koumarianou

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases have limited treatment options, and, as a result of their poor performance status and worse prognosis, they are underrepresented in clinical trials. Not surprisingly, these patients may not be fit enough to receive any active treatment and are offered supportive therapy. BRCA2 mutations are reported to be rarely associated with HER2-overexpressing advanced breast cancer and even more rarely with brain metastases at diagnosis. We report on a BRCA2-positive breast cancer patient with metastatic disease in multiple sites, including the brain, and poor performance status who exhibited an extraordinary clinical and imaging response to the novel anti-HER2 therapy pertuzumab after multiple lines of therapy including anti-HER2 targeting. To our knowledge, the clinicopathologic and therapeutic characteristics of this patient point to a unique case and an urgent need for further investigation of pertuzumab in patients with brain metastases.

  17. HER2 induced EMT and tumorigenicity in breast epithelial progenitor cells is inhibited by coexpression of EGFR

    OpenAIRE

    Ingthorsson, Saevar; Andersen, K; Hilmarsdóttir, Bylgja; Mælandsmo, Gunhild M; Magnusson, Magnus Karl; Gudjonsson, Thorarinn

    2015-01-01

    The members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase family are important players in breast morphogenesis and cancer. EGFR2/HER2 and EGFR expression have a prognostic value in certain subtypes of breast cancer such as HER2-amplified, basal-like and luminal type B. Many clinically approved small molecular inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies have been designed to target HER2, EGFR or both. There is, however, still limited knowledge on how the two receptors are expressed in normal ...

  18. Automated Image Analysis of HER2 Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization to Refine Definitions of Genetic Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer Tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radziuviene, Gedmante; Rasmusson, Allan; Augulis, Renaldas; Lesciute-Krilaviciene, Daiva; Laurinaviciene, Aida; Clim, Eduard; Laurinavicius, Arvydas

    2017-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene- (HER2-) targeted therapy for breast cancer relies primarily on HER2 overexpression established by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with borderline cases being further tested for amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Manual interpretation of HER2 FISH is based on a limited number of cells and rather complex definitions of equivocal, polysomic, and genetically heterogeneous (GH) cases. Image analysis (IA) can extract high-capacity data and potentially improve HER2 testing in borderline cases. We investigated statistically derived indicators of HER2 heterogeneity in HER2 FISH data obtained by automated IA of 50 IHC borderline (2+) cases of invasive ductal breast carcinoma. Overall, IA significantly underestimated the conventional HER2, CEP17 counts, and HER2/CEP17 ratio; however, it collected more amplified cells in some cases below the lower limit of GH definition by manual procedure. Indicators for amplification, polysomy, and bimodality were extracted by factor analysis and allowed clustering of the tumors into amplified, nonamplified, and equivocal/polysomy categories. The bimodality indicator provided independent cell diversity characteristics for all clusters. Tumors classified as bimodal only partially coincided with the conventional GH heterogeneity category. We conclude that automated high-capacity nonselective tumor cell assay can generate evidence-based HER2 intratumor heterogeneity indicators to refine GH definitions.

  19. Concordance Between FISH Analysis of Her-2/Neu Gene in Breast Duct Carcinoma and Corresponding Axillary Nodal Metastases: Egyptian National Cancer Institute Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badawy, Omnia M; Hassan, Hannan; ELBakey, Heba A; Mosaad, Maha

    2018-05-10

    Breast cancer is a major health problem in Egypt. Her-2/Neu gene is routinely assessed for all breast cancer patients primarily by immunohistochemistry. At National Cancer Institute (NCI), Cairo University, Flourescence In Situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of Her-2/Neu gene is carried out for Her-2/Neu score 2 and for some cases of score 3 (particularly those assessed outside NCI). The test is performed essentially on the primary tumor. However, some situations require testing on corresponding lymph node metastases. There is a debate about the concordance between Her-2/Neu status in the primary tumor and synchronous lymph node metastases in various studies. The aim of this study was to test for the concordance between Her-2/Neu status in the primary breast tumor and corresponding axillary nodal metastases. This is a retrospective study in which FISH analysis of Her-2/Neu was carried out simultaneously on archived material of 50 cases previously diagnosed as invasive duct carcinoma and the corresponding nodal metastases from the Pathology Department, NCI. There was complete concordance between Her-2 status in the primary tumor and the corresponding axillary lymph node metastatic deposits in which Her-2 was amplified in 44% of the studied cohort of Egyptian patients. Her-2/Neu gene assessed by FISH analysis on synchronous lymph node metastases is strongly correlated with the primary tumor. Hence, it is justified to carry out the Her-2/Neu test on synchronous lymph nodes to decide on whether to carry out anti-Her-2/Neu target therapy. Further studies on other metastatic sites is recommended.

  20. Heterologous human/rat HER2-specific exosome-targeted T cell vaccine stimulates potent humoral and CTL responses leading to enhanced circumvention of HER2 tolerance in double transgenic HLA-A2/HER2 mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Yufeng; Wu, Jie; Xu, Aizhang; Ahmeqd, Shahid; Sami, Amer; Chibbar, Rajni; Freywald, Andrew; Zheng, Changyu; Xiang, Jim

    2018-03-07

    therapeutic alternative for patients with trastuzumab-resistant HER2 + breast tumor. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Study of HER2/neu status in Qatari women with breast carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasul, Kaki I.; Abdalla, Awidi S.; Mohammed, Kelta; Ahmad, Mubarak A.; Al-Homsi, Mohammed U.; Al-Hassan, Asma M.; Al-Alosi, Ahmad S.; Bener, A.

    2003-01-01

    The study is aimed at determining the prevalence of HER2/neu overexpression in Qatari women with breast cancer and to acess the survival in patients with HER2/neu positive tumors. This is a retropspective study of clinical data of 70 Qatari female patients diagonosed with breast cancer during the priod 1991through to 2001,at Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. We also performed a retrospective review of breast tissue for those patients using paraffin sections and applying immunohistochemistry staining -[Hercep test (DAKO Inc)] to determine the HER/neu status. Out of all the eighteen patients (26%) were HER2/neu positive(2+ and 3+) wih a mean age at diagonosis of 49.3 years, and 52 (74%) were negative (0and 1+)with mean age at diagonosis of 46.6 years.Of patients with positive HER2/neu, 5(28%) had a relapse of disease and 4 (22%) died of disease during followup. Of the patients with HER2/neu, negative test 9(17%) had a relapse of disease and10(19%) died of the disease . The median survival function at mean of covaritesfor HER2/neu positve patients was 26 months, and for HER2/neu negative patients was 28 months. The prevalence of HER2/neu and overexpression in Qatari female with breast cancer in study is 26%, but due to small sample size it may not reflect really the prevalence. Patients with HER/neu positive were older at diagonosis than ptients with HER2/neu negative also they had higher relapse rate and mortality. Median survival function was better for HER2/neu negative patients. (author)

  2. Efficacy of Anti-HER2 Agents in Combination With Adjuvant or Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Early and Locally Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients: A Network Meta-Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Márcio Debiasi

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundSeveral (neoadjuvant treatments for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer have been compared in different randomized clinical trials. Since it is not feasible to conduct adequate pairwise comparative trials of all these therapeutic options, network meta-analysis offers an opportunity for more detailed inference for evidence-based therapy.MethodsPhase II/III randomized clinical trials comparing two or more different (neoadjuvant treatments for HER2-positive breast cancer patients were included. Relative treatment effects were pooled in two separate network meta-analyses for overall survival (OS and disease-free survival (DFS.Results17 clinical trials met our eligibility criteria. Two different networks of trials were created based on the availability of the outcomes: OS network (15 trials: 37,837 patients; and DFS network (17 trials: 40,992 patients. Two studies—the ExteNET and the NeoSphere trials—were included only in this DFS network because OS data have not yet been reported. The concept of the dual anti-HER2 blockade proved to be the best option in terms of OS and DFS. Chemotherapy (CT plus trastuzumab (T and lapatinib (L and CT + T + Pertuzumab (P are probably the best treatment options in terms of OS, with 62.47% and 22.06%, respectively. In the DFS network, CT + T + Neratinib (N was the best treatment option with 50.55%, followed by CT + T + P (26.59% and CT + T + L (20.62%.ConclusionThis network meta-analysis suggests that dual anti-HER2 blockade with trastuzumab plus either lapatinib or pertuzumab are probably the best treatment options in the (neoadjuvant setting for HER2-positive breast cancer patients in terms of OS gain. Mature OS results are still expected for the Aphinity trial and for the sequential use of trastuzumab followed by neratinib, the treatment that showed the best performance in terms of DFS in our analysis.

  3. HER2, TOP2A, and TIMP-1 and responsiveness to adjuvant anthracycline-containing chemotherapy in high-risk breast cancer patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ejlertsen, Bent; Jensen, Maj-Britt; Nielsen, Kirsten

    2010-01-01

    (interaction) benefit from anthracycline-containing chemotherapy than HER2, TIMP-1, or TOP2A individually, and compared with these, 2T classifies a larger proportion of patients as sensitive to anthracyclines.......PURPOSE To evaluate whether the combination of HER2 with TIMP-1 (HT) or TOP2A with TIMP-1 (2T) more accurately identifies patients who benefit from cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil (CEF) compared with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) than these markers do when...... lacked TIMP-1 immunoreactivity, 188 were HER2 positive, and 139 had a TOP2A aberration. HT status was a statistically significant predictor of benefit from CEF compared with CMF (P(interaction) = .036 for invasive disease-free survival [IDFS] and .047 for overall survival [OS]). The 269 (43%) patients...

  4. Targeting breast carcinoma with radioiodinated anti-HER2 Nanobody

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pruszynski, Marek; Koumarianou, Eftychia; Vaidyanathan, Ganesan; Revets, Hilde; Devoogdt, Nick; Lahoutte, Tony; Zalutsky, Michael R.

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: With a molecular weight an order of magnitude lower than antibodies but possessing comparable affinities, Nanobodies (Nbs) are attractive as targeting agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy. An anti-HER2 Nb could be utilized to determine HER2 status in breast cancer patients prior to trastuzumab treatment. This provided motivation for the generation of HER2-specific 5F7GGC Nb, its radioiodination and evaluation for targeting HER2 expressing tumors. Methods: 5F7GGC Nb was radioiodinated with 125 I using Iodogen and with 131 I using the residualizing agent N ε -(3-[ 131 I]iodobenzoyl)-Lys 5 -N α -maleimido-Gly 1 -GEEEK ([ 131 I]IB-Mal-D-GEEEK) used previously successfully with intact antibodies. Paired-label internalization assays using BT474M1 cells and tissue distribution experiments in athymic mice bearing BT474M1 xenografts were performed to compare the two labeled Nb preparations. Results: The radiochemical yields for Iodogen and [ 131 I]IB-Mal-D-GEEEK labeling were 83.6 ± 5.0% (n = 10) and 59.6 ± 9.4% (n = 15), respectively. The immunoreactivity of labeled proteins was preserved as confirmed by in vitro and in vivo binding to tumor cells. Biodistribution studies showed that Nb radiolabeled using [ 131 I]IB-Mal-D-GEEEK, compared with the directly labeled Nb, had a higher tumor uptake (4.65 ± 0.61% ID/g vs. 2.92 ± 0.24% ID/g at 8 h), faster blood clearance, lower accumulation in non-target organs except kidneys, and as a result, higher concomitant tumor-to-blood and tumor-to-tissue ratios. Conclusions: Taken together, these results demonstrate that 5F7GGC anti-HER2 Nb labeled with residualizing [ 131 I]IB-Mal-D-GEEEK had better tumor targeting properties compared to the directly labeled Nb suggesting the potential utility of this Nb conjugate for SPECT ( 129 I) and PET imaging ( 124 I) of patients with HER2-expressing tumors.

  5. Trastuzumab has preferential activity against breast cancers driven by HER2 homodimers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Ritwik; Narasanna, Archana; Wang, Shizhen Emily; Liu, Shuying; Chakrabarty, Anindita; Balko, Justin M.; González-Angulo, Ana María; Mills, Gordon B.; Penuel, Elicia; Winslow, John; Sperinde, Jeff; Dua, Rajiv; Pidaparthi, Sailaja; Mukherjee, Ali; Leitzel, Kim; Kostler, Wolfgang J.; Lipton, Allan; Bates, Michael; Arteaga, Carlos L.

    2011-01-01

    In breast cancer cells with HER2 gene amplification, HER2 receptors exist on the cell surface as monomers, homodimers and heterodimers with EGFR/HER3. The therapeutic antibody trastuzumab, an approved therapy for HER2+ breast cancer, cannot block ligand-induced HER2 heterodimers, suggesting it cannot effectively inhibit HER2 signaling. Hence, HER2 oligomeric states may predict the odds of a clinical response to trastuzumab in HER2-driven tumors. To test this hypothesis, we generated non-transformed human MCF10A mammary epithelial cells stably expressing a chimeric HER2-FKBP molecule that could be conditionally induced to homodimerize by adding the FKBP ligand AP1510, or instead induced to heterodimerize with EGFR or HER3 by adding the heterodimer ligands EGF/TGFα or heregulin. AP1510, EGF, and heregulin each induced growth of MCF10A cells expressing HER2-FKBP. As expected, trastuzumab inhibited homodimer-mediated but not heterodimer-mediated cell growth. In contrast, the HER2 antibody pertuzumab, which blocks HER2 heterodimerization, inhibited growth induced by heregulin but not AP1510. Lastly, HER2/EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib blocked both homodimer- and heterodimer-induced growth. AP1510 triggered phosphorylation of Erk1/2 but not AKT, whereas trastuzumab inhibited AP1510-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation and Shc-HER2 homodimer binding, but not TGFα-induced AKT phosphorylation. Consistent with these observations, high levels of HER2 homodimers correlated with longer time to progression following trastuzumab therapy in a cohort of HER2-overexpressing patients. Together, our findings corroborate the hypothesis that HER2 oligomeric states regulate HER2 signaling, also arguing that trastuzumab sensitivity of homodimers reflects an inability to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway. One of the most important clinical implications of our results is that high levels of HER2 homodimers may predict a positive response to trastuzumab. PMID:21324925

  6. Brain metastases in patients who receive trastuzumab-containing chemotherapy for HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ono, Makiko; Ando, Masashi; Yunokawa, Mayu

    2009-01-01

    Recently, a high rate of brain metastases has been reported among patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer who were treated with trastuzumab. The present study examined risk factors for the development of brain metastasis in patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer who were treated with trastuzumab. We retrospectively reviewed 204 patients with HER-2-overexpressing breast cancer who were treated with a trastuzumab-containing regimen between 1999 and 2006. Patients with clinical symptoms were diagnosed as having brain metastases when brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed positive findings for brain metastases. The median follow-up time of this cohort was 53.6 months. Among the patients who received a trastuzumab-containing regimen, 74 patients (36.3%) developed brain metastases. The median survival from the diagnosis of brain metastases was 13.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.2-14.7 months). The median time interval between the beginning of trastuzumab treatment and the diagnosis of brain metastases was 13.6 months (range, 0.0-45.8 months). Among patients with brain metastases, the median overall survival period was 39 months. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (≤50 years), recurrent breast cancer, and liver metastases were significant risk factors for the development of brain metastases. Patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer treated with trastuzumab had a high incidence of brain metastases (36.3%). Routine screening for brain metastases 1 year after the start of trastuzumab treatment, may be warranted in younger patients (≤50 years) who had recurrent breast cancer with liver metastases. (author)

  7. HER-2 Protein Overexpression in Patients with Gastric and Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma at a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Larbi Simpong

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The prognosis of gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinoma remains generally poor. However, mounting evidence suggests a positive role of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2 expression in the prognosis of patients with these cancers. In this work, the patterns of HER-2 protein expression were determined in patients with gastric or oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Retrospectively, we reviewed records of gastric and oesophageal biopsies received from 2008 to 2012 and their corresponding archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks selected for immunohistochemical analysis. The prevalence of gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinomas and their association with HER-2 protein overexpression were evaluated. Gastric adenocarcinoma made up 18.79% of the gastric biopsies reviewed, and majority of these cancers occurred in males. Regarding the tumour type, HER-2 overexpression was common in the intestinal subtype compared to the diffuse type. Although squamous cell carcinoma was observed to be the commonest (31% tumour type in the oesophagus compared to adenocarcinoma (8.79%, HER-2 was overexpressed in 42.9% of oesophageal adenocarcinomas, like gastric adenocarcinoma (41.4%. There is a high prevalence of gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinoma, with significant overexpression of HER-2 in these tumours, a window of hope for the management of patients with these cancers.

  8. Steroid receptor coactivators, HER-2 and HER-3 expression is stimulated by tamoxifen treatment in DMBA-induced breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moi, Line L Haugan; Flågeng, Marianne Hauglid; Gjerde, Jennifer; Madsen, Andre; Røst, Therese Halvorsen; Gudbrandsen, Oddrun Anita; Lien, Ernst A; Mellgren, Gunnar

    2012-01-01

    Steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs) may modulate estrogen receptor (ER) activity and the response to endocrine treatment in breast cancer, in part through interaction with growth factor receptor signaling pathways. In the present study the effects of tamoxifen treatment on the expression of SRCs and human epidermal growth factor receptors (HERs) were examined in an animal model of ER positive breast cancer. Sprague-Dawley rats with DMBA-induced breast cancer were randomized to 14 days of oral tamoxifen 40 mg/kg bodyweight/day or vehicle only (controls). Tumors were measured throughout the study period. Blood samples and tumor tissue were collected at sacrifice and tamoxifen and its main metabolites were quantified using LC-MS/MS. The gene expression in tumor of SRC-1, SRC-2/transcription intermediary factor-2 (TIF-2), SRC-3/amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1), ER, HER-1, -2, -3 and HER-4, as well as the transcription factor Ets-2, was measured by real-time RT-PCR. Protein levels were further assessed by Western blotting. Tamoxifen and its main metabolites were detected at high concentrations in serum and accumulated in tumor tissue in up to tenfolds the concentration in serum. Mean tumor volume/rat decreased in the tamoxifen treated group, but continued to increase in controls. The mRNA expression levels of SRC-1 (P = 0.035), SRC-2/TIF-2 (P = 0.002), HER-2 (P = 0.035) and HER-3 (P = 0.006) were significantly higher in tamoxifen treated tumors compared to controls, and the results were confirmed at the protein level using Western blotting. SRC-3/AIB1 protein was also higher in tamoxifen treated tumors. SRC-1 and SRC-2/TIF-2 mRNA levels were positively correlated with each other and with HER-2 (P ≤ 0.001), and the HER-2 mRNA expression correlated with the levels of the other three HER family members (P < 0.05). Furthermore, SRC-3/AIB1 and HER-4 were positively correlated with each other and Ets-2 (P < 0.001). The expression of SRCs and HER-2 and -3 is stimulated

  9. Metronomic chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting: results of two parallel feasibility trials (TraQme and TAME) in patients with HER2+ and HER2− locally advanced breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petry, V.; Gagliato, D.M.; Leal, A.I.C.; Arai, R.J.; Longo, E.; Andrade, F.; Ricci, M.D.; Piato, J.R.; Barroso-Sousa, R.; Hoff, P.M.; Mano, M.S.

    2015-01-01

    Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has practical and theoretical advantages over adjuvant chemotherapy strategy in breast cancer (BC) management. Moreover, metronomic delivery has a more favorable toxicity profile. The present study examined the feasibility of neoadjuvant metronomic chemotherapy in two cohorts [HER2+ (TraQme) and HER2− (TAME)] of locally advanced BC. Twenty patients were prospectively enrolled (TraQme, n=9; TAME, n=11). Both cohorts received weekly paclitaxel at 100 mg/m 2 during 8 weeks followed by weekly doxorubicin at 24 mg/m 2 for 9 weeks in combination with oral cyclophosphamide at 100 mg/day (fixed dose). The HER2+ cohort received weekly trastuzumab. The study was interrupted because of safety issues. Thirty-six percent of patients in the TAME cohort and all patients from the TraQme cohort had stage III BC. Of note, 33% from the TraQme cohort and 66% from the TAME cohort displayed hormone receptor positivity in tumor tissue. The pathological complete response rates were 55% and 18% among patients enrolled in the TraQme and TAME cohorts, respectively. Patients in the TraQme cohort had more advanced BC stages at diagnosis, higher-grade pathological classification, and more tumors lacking hormone receptor expression, compared to the TAME cohort. The toxicity profile was also different. Two patients in the TraQme cohort developed pneumonitis, and in the TAME cohort we observed more hematological toxicity and hand-foot syndrome. The neoadjuvant metronomic chemotherapy regimen evaluated in this trial was highly effective in achieving a tumor response, especially in the HER2+ cohort. Pneumonitis was a serious, unexpected adverse event observed in this group. Further larger and randomized trials are warranted to evaluate the association between metronomic chemotherapy and trastuzumab treatment

  10. Metronomic chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting: results of two parallel feasibility trials (TraQme and TAME) in patients with HER2+ and HER2− locally advanced breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petry, V.; Gagliato, D.M.; Leal, A.I.C.; Arai, R.J.; Longo, E. [Divisão de Oncologia Médica, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Andrade, F. [Núcleo de Mastologia, Hospital Sírio Libanês, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Ricci, M.D.; Piato, J.R.; Barroso-Sousa, R.; Hoff, P.M.; Mano, M.S. [Divisão de Oncologia Médica, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2015-03-06

    Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has practical and theoretical advantages over adjuvant chemotherapy strategy in breast cancer (BC) management. Moreover, metronomic delivery has a more favorable toxicity profile. The present study examined the feasibility of neoadjuvant metronomic chemotherapy in two cohorts [HER2+ (TraQme) and HER2− (TAME)] of locally advanced BC. Twenty patients were prospectively enrolled (TraQme, n=9; TAME, n=11). Both cohorts received weekly paclitaxel at 100 mg/m{sup 2} during 8 weeks followed by weekly doxorubicin at 24 mg/m{sup 2} for 9 weeks in combination with oral cyclophosphamide at 100 mg/day (fixed dose). The HER2+ cohort received weekly trastuzumab. The study was interrupted because of safety issues. Thirty-six percent of patients in the TAME cohort and all patients from the TraQme cohort had stage III BC. Of note, 33% from the TraQme cohort and 66% from the TAME cohort displayed hormone receptor positivity in tumor tissue. The pathological complete response rates were 55% and 18% among patients enrolled in the TraQme and TAME cohorts, respectively. Patients in the TraQme cohort had more advanced BC stages at diagnosis, higher-grade pathological classification, and more tumors lacking hormone receptor expression, compared to the TAME cohort. The toxicity profile was also different. Two patients in the TraQme cohort developed pneumonitis, and in the TAME cohort we observed more hematological toxicity and hand-foot syndrome. The neoadjuvant metronomic chemotherapy regimen evaluated in this trial was highly effective in achieving a tumor response, especially in the HER2+ cohort. Pneumonitis was a serious, unexpected adverse event observed in this group. Further larger and randomized trials are warranted to evaluate the association between metronomic chemotherapy and trastuzumab treatment.

  11. Exposure to depleted uranium does not alter the co-expression of HER-2/neu and p53 in breast cancer patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al-Toriahi Kaswer M

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Amongst the extensive literature on immunohistochemical profile of breast cancer, very little is found on populations exposed to a potential risk factor such as depleted uranium. This study looked at the immunohistochemical expression of HER-2/neu (c-erbB2 and p53 in different histological types of breast cancer found in the middle Euphrates region of Iraq, where the population has been exposed to high levels of depleted uranium. Findings The present investigation was performed over a period starting from September 2008 to April 2009. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from 70 patients with breast cancer (62 ductal and 8 lobular carcinoma were included in this study. A group of 25 patients with fibroadenoma was included as a comparative group, and 20 samples of normal breast tissue sections were used as controls. Labeled streptavidin-biotin (LSAB+ complex method was employed for immunohistochemical detection of HER-2/neu and p53. The detection rate of HER-2/neu and p53 immunohistochemical expression were 47.14% and 35.71% respectively in malignant tumors; expression was negative in the comparative and control groups (p HER-2/neu immunostaining was significantly associated with histological type, tumor size, nodal involvement, and recurrence of breast carcinoma (p p Both biomarkers were positively correlated with each other. Furthermore, all the cases that co-expressed both HER-2/neu and p53 showed the most unfavorable biopathological profile. Conclusion P53 and HER-2/neu over-expression play an important role in pathogenesis of breast carcinoma. The findings indicate that in regions exposed to high levels of depleted uranium, although p53 and HER-2/neu overexpression are both high, correlation of their expression with age, grade, tumor size, recurrence and lymph node involvement is similar to studies that have been conducted on populations not exposed to depleted uranium. HER-2/neu expression in breast cancer was higher

  12. Preclinical efficacy of the MDM2 inhibitor RG7112 in MDM2 amplified and TP53 wild-type glioblastomas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verreault, Maite; Schmitt, Charlotte; Goldwirt, Lauriane; Pelton, Kristine; Haidar, Samer; Levasseur, Camille; Guehennec, Jeremy; Knoff, David; Labussiere, Marianne; Marie, Yannick; Ligon, Azra H.; Mokhtari, Karima; Hoang-Xuan, Khe; Sanson, Marc; Alexander, Brian M; Wen, Patrick Y.; Delattre, Jean-Yves; Ligon, Keith L.; Idbaih, Ahmed

    2016-01-01

    Rationale p53 pathway alterations are key molecular events in glioblastoma (GBM). MDM2 inhibitors increase expression and stability of p53 and are presumed to be most efficacious in patients with TP53 wild-type and MDM2-amplified cancers. However, this biomarker hypothesis has not been tested in patients or patient-derived models for GBM. Methods We performed a preclinical evaluation of RG7112 MDM2 inhibitor, across a panel of 36 patient-derived GBM cell lines (PDCLs), each genetically characterized according to their P53 pathway status. We then performed a pharmacokinetic (PK) profiling of RG7112 distribution in mice and evaluated the therapeutic activity of RG7112 in orthotopic and subcutaneous GBM models. Results MDM2-amplified PDCLs were 44 times more sensitive than TP53 mutated lines that showed complete resistance at therapeutically attainable concentrations (avg. IC50 of 0.52 μM vs 21.9 μM). MDM4 amplified PDCLs were highly sensitive but showed intermediate response (avg. IC50 of 1.2 μM), whereas response was heterogeneous in TP53 wild-type PDCLs with normal MDM2/4 levels (avg. IC50 of 7.7 μM). In MDM2-amplified lines, RG7112 restored p53 activity inducing robust p21 expression and apoptosis. PK profiling of RG7112-treated PDCL intracranial xenografts demonstrated that the compound significantly crosses the blood-brain and the blood-tumor barriers. Most importantly, treatment of MDM2-amplified/TP53 wild-type PDCL-derived model (subcutaneous and orthotopic) reduced tumor growth, was cytotoxic, and significantly increased survival. Conclusion These data strongly support development of MDM2 inhibitors for clinical testing in MDM2-amplified GBM patients. Moreover, significant efficacy in a subset of non-MDM2 amplified models suggests that additional markers of response to MDM2 inhibitors must be identified. PMID:26482041

  13. Quantifying HER-2 expression on circulating tumor cells by ACCEPT.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonie Zeune

    Full Text Available Circulating tumor cells (CTCs isolated from blood can be probed for the expression of treatment targets. Immunofluorescence is often used for both the enumeration of CTC and the determination of protein expression levels related to treatment targets. Accurate and reproducible assessment of such treatment target expression levels is essential for their use in the clinic. To enable this, an open source image analysis program named ACCEPT was developed in the EU-FP7 CTCTrap and CANCER-ID programs. Here its application is shown on a retrospective cohort of 132 metastatic breast cancer patients from which blood samples were processed by CellSearch® and stained for HER-2 expression as additional marker. Images were digitally stored and reviewers identified a total of 4084 CTCs. CTC's HER-2 expression was determined in the thumbnail images by ACCEPT. 150 of these images were selected and sent to six independent investigators to score the HER-2 expression with and without ACCEPT. Concordance rate of the operators' scoring results for HER-2 on CTCs was 30% and could be increased using the ACCEPT tool to 51%. Automated assessment of HER-2 expression by ACCEPT on 4084 CTCs of 132 patients showed 8 (6.1% patients with all CTCs expressing HER-2, 14 (10.6% patients with no CTC expressing HER-2 and 110 (83.3% patients with CTCs showing a varying HER-2 expression level. In total 1576 CTCs were determined HER-2 positive. We conclude that the use of image analysis enables a more reproducible quantification of treatment targets on CTCs and leads the way to fully automated and reproducible approaches.

  14. Quantifying HER-2 expression on circulating tumor cells by ACCEPT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeune, Leonie; van Dalum, Guus; Decraene, Charles; Proudhon, Charlotte; Fehm, Tanja; Neubauer, Hans; Rack, Brigitte; Alunni-Fabbroni, Marianna; Terstappen, Leon W M M; van Gils, Stephan A; Brune, Christoph

    2017-01-01

    Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from blood can be probed for the expression of treatment targets. Immunofluorescence is often used for both the enumeration of CTC and the determination of protein expression levels related to treatment targets. Accurate and reproducible assessment of such treatment target expression levels is essential for their use in the clinic. To enable this, an open source image analysis program named ACCEPT was developed in the EU-FP7 CTCTrap and CANCER-ID programs. Here its application is shown on a retrospective cohort of 132 metastatic breast cancer patients from which blood samples were processed by CellSearch® and stained for HER-2 expression as additional marker. Images were digitally stored and reviewers identified a total of 4084 CTCs. CTC's HER-2 expression was determined in the thumbnail images by ACCEPT. 150 of these images were selected and sent to six independent investigators to score the HER-2 expression with and without ACCEPT. Concordance rate of the operators' scoring results for HER-2 on CTCs was 30% and could be increased using the ACCEPT tool to 51%. Automated assessment of HER-2 expression by ACCEPT on 4084 CTCs of 132 patients showed 8 (6.1%) patients with all CTCs expressing HER-2, 14 (10.6%) patients with no CTC expressing HER-2 and 110 (83.3%) patients with CTCs showing a varying HER-2 expression level. In total 1576 CTCs were determined HER-2 positive. We conclude that the use of image analysis enables a more reproducible quantification of treatment targets on CTCs and leads the way to fully automated and reproducible approaches.

  15. A gene expression signature of Retinoblastoma loss-of-function predicts resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in ER-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risi, Emanuela; Grilli, Andrea; Migliaccio, Ilenia; Biagioni, Chiara; McCartney, Amelia; Guarducci, Cristina; Bonechi, Martina; Benelli, Matteo; Vitale, Stefania; Biganzoli, Laura; Bicciato, Silvio; Di Leo, Angelo; Malorni, Luca

    2018-07-01

    HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancers show heterogeneous response to chemotherapy, with the ER-positive (ER+) subgroup deriving less benefit. Loss of retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene (RB1) function has been suggested as a cardinal feature of breast cancers that are more sensitive to chemotherapy and conversely resistant to CDK4/6 inhibitors. We performed a retrospective analysis exploring RBsig, a gene signature of RB loss, as a potential predictive marker of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in ER+/HER2+ breast cancer patients. We selected clinical trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy ± anti-HER2 therapy in HER2+ breast cancer patients with available information on gene expression data, hormone receptor status, and pathological complete response (pCR) rates. RBsig expression was computed in silico and correlated with pCR. Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis (514 patients). Overall, of 211 ER+/HER2+ breast cancer patients, 49 achieved pCR (23%). The pCR rate following chemotherapy ± anti-HER2 drugs in patients with RBsig low expression was significantly lower compared to patients with RBsig high expression (16% vs. 30%, respectively; Fisher's exact test p = 0.015). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.62 (p = 0.005). In the 303 ER-negative (ER-)/HER2+ patients treated with chemotherapy ± anti-HER2 drugs, the pCR rate was 43%. No correlation was found between RBsig expression and pCR rate in this group. Low expression of RBsig identifies a subset of ER+/HER2+ patients with low pCR rates following neoadjuvant chemotherapy ± anti-HER2 therapy. These patients may potentially be spared chemotherapy in favor of anti-HER2, endocrine therapy, and CDK 4/6 inhibitor combinations.

  16. HER2 activating mutations are targets for colorectal cancer treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavuri, Shyam M; Jain, Naveen; Galimi, Francesco; Cottino, Francesca; Leto, Simonetta M; Migliardi, Giorgia; Searleman, Adam C; Shen, Wei; Monsey, John; Trusolino, Livio; Jacobs, Samuel A; Bertotti, Andrea; Bose, Ron

    2015-08-01

    The Cancer Genome Atlas project identified HER2 somatic mutations and gene amplification in 7% of patients with colorectal cancer. Introduction of the HER2 mutations S310F, L755S, V777L, V842I, and L866M into colon epithelial cells increased signaling pathways and anchorage-independent cell growth, indicating that they are activating mutations. Introduction of these HER2 activating mutations into colorectal cancer cell lines produced resistance to cetuximab and panitumumab by sustaining MAPK phosphorylation. HER2 mutants are potently inhibited by low nanomolar doses of the irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitors neratinib and afatinib. HER2 gene sequencing of 48 cetuximab-resistant, quadruple (KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA) wild-type (WT) colorectal cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDX) identified 4 PDXs with HER2 mutations. HER2-targeted therapies were tested on two PDXs. Treatment with a single HER2-targeted drug (trastuzumab, neratinib, or lapatinib) delayed tumor growth, but dual HER2-targeted therapy with trastuzumab plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors produced regression of these HER2-mutated PDXs. HER2 activating mutations cause EGFR antibody resistance in colorectal cell lines, and PDXs with HER2 mutations show durable tumor regression when treated with dual HER2-targeted therapy. These data provide a strong preclinical rationale for clinical trials targeting HER2 activating mutations in metastatic colorectal cancer. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  17. Correlation and comparison of immunohistochemistry for HER2/neu, using the antibody SP3 and chromogenic in situ hybridization in breast carcinomas samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franciele F. Wolf

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: Advances in the field of molecular biology have provided the differentiation of molecular subtypes of breast tumors, providing better prognosis and important tools for the treatment of patients with breast cancer. Among these subtypes, the changes in the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene (HER2/neu, increase its copy number and generating HER2 protein amplification. Studies show that patients with breast cancer HER2/neu amplified tend to relapse earlier and have shorter survival time, the monoclonal antibody Trastuzumab is the therapy indicated. The eligibility of patients for therapy is initially made by the immunohistochemistry (IHC technique, which evaluates the expression level of the HER2 protein. After this evaluation, the cases with equivocal diagnosis (score 2+, are referred to a more accurate technique, the chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH. Objective: To analyze the sensitivity and specificity of the antibody SP3, and determine their level of agreement with the CISH technique. Material and methods: Retrospective study in the database of the anatomy-pathology laboratory, in CISH tests reports for HER2/neu. Conclusion: The results revealed that clone SP3 showed 100% specificity and 92% sensitivity. IHC reveals variability in its results; however, it is known that the technique is an important tool in the daily routine of laboratories, contributing to the initial screening of patients with breast cancer, which later showed satisfactory results when compared with the CISH technique.

  18. Evaluation of tumor markers (HER-2/neu oncoprotein, CEA, and CA 15.3) in patients with locoregional breast cancer: prognostic value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, Rafael; Augé, Jose M; Escudero, Jose M; Filella, Xavier; Zanon, Gabriel; Pahisa, Jaume; Farrus, Blanca; Muñoz, Montserrat; Velasco, Martin

    2010-06-01

    Tumor markers were studied in the sera of 883 untreated patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed between 1989 and 2007. Abnormal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)/neu levels (>15 ng/mL) were found in 9.5%, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 15.9%, and cancer antigen (CA) 15.3 in 19.7% of the patients. One or more tumor markers were abnormal in 305 (34.5%) of the 883 studied patients. Significantly higher serum HER-2/neu levels were found in patients with tissue overexpression of this oncoprotein (p CEA, CA 15.3, and HER-2/neu (only in those patients with tissue overexpression) serum levels were related with tumor stage (tumor size and nodal involvement) and steroid receptors (higher values in estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) tumors). Univariate analysis showed that HER-2/neu serum levels were prognostic factors in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) only in patients with tissue overexpression. Multivariate analysis in 834 patients show that nodal involvement, tumor size, ER, CEA, and adjuvant treatment were independent prognostic factors in DFS and OS. When only patients with HER-2/neu overexpression in tissue were studied, tumor size, nodal involvement, and tumor markers (one or another positive) were independent prognostic factors for both DFS and OS. HER-2/neu serum levels were also an independent prognostic factor, with CEA, ER, and nodes in 106 patients treated with neoadjuvant treatment. In summary, serum HER-2/neu, CEA, and CA 15.3 are useful tools in the prognostic evaluation of patients with primary breast cancer.

  19. Chromogenic in situ hybridization for Her-2/neu-oncogene in breast cancer: comparison of a new dual-colour chromogenic in situ hybridization with immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayr, Doris; Heim, Sibylle; Weyrauch, Kerstin; Zeindl-Eberhart, Evelyn; Kunz, Anne; Engel, Jutta; Kirchner, Thomas

    2009-12-01

    Her-2/neu testing is used as a marker for Herceptin therapy. The aim was to investigate new dual-colour chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), in a large number of breast carcinomas (n = 205) with DNA-specific dual-colour probes (ZytoVision, Bremerhaven, Germany) and to compare the results with immunohistochemistry (n = 205) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) (n = 129). Paraffin-embedded tissue of 205 patients was used. After immunohistochemistry with a focus on immunohistochemically uncertain cases, Her-2/neu amplification using dual-colour CISH (ZytoVision) was analysed. Validation by FISH was performed. The results were: immunohistochemistry, 27.8% with strong expression, 53.7% with uncertain overexpression and 18.5% with no expression; FISH, 25.6% amplified and 74.4% negative; CISH, 35.6% amplified, 62.9% negative and 1.5% not evaluable. Comparison of immunohistochemistry with CISH: CISH negative in 100% with immunohistochemistry 0/1+, amplified in 82.5% with immunohistochemistry 3+; 5.9% contradictory results: 4.4% immunohistochemistry 3+ and negative by CISH, 1.5% negative in immunohistochemistry but amplified by CISH; FISH (129 cases), 8.5% contradictory results to immunohistochemistry, 6.2% immunohistochemistry 3+ and negative by FISH, 2.3% negative by immunohistochemistry and amplified by FISH; comparison of CISH and FISH, 94.6% same results, 3.9% different ones, 1.6% CISH not analysable. CISH, using dual-colour probes (ZytoVision) is as good as FISH for Her-2/neu analysis. The few discrepant results are likely to be caused by polysomy or tumour heterogeneity.

  20. 64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET imaging in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamura, Kenji; Kurihara, Hiroaki; Yonemori, Kan; Tsuda, Hitoshi; Suzuki, Junko; Kono, Yuzuru; Honda, Natsuki; Kodaira, Makoto; Yamamoto, Harukaze; Yunokawa, Mayu; Shimizu, Chikako; Hasegawa, Koki; Kanayama, Yousuke; Nozaki, Satoshi; Kinoshita, Takayuki; Wada, Yasuhiro; Tazawa, Shusaku; Takahashi, Kazuhiro; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi; Fujiwara, Yasuhiro

    2013-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the safety, distribution, internal dosimetry, and initial human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive tumor images of (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab in humans. PET was performed on 6 patients with primary or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer at 1, 24, and 48 h after injection of approximately 130 MBq of the probe (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab. Radioactivity data were collected from the blood, urine, and normal-tissue samples of these 6 patients, and the multiorgan biodistribution and internal dosimetry of the probe were evaluated. Safety data were collected for all the patients after the administration of (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab and during the 1-wk follow-up period. According to our results, the best timing for the assessment of (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab uptake by the tumor was 48 h after injection. Radiation exposure during (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET was equivalent to that during conventional (18)F-FDG PET. The radioactivity in the blood was high, but uptake of (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab in normal tissues was low. In 2 patients, (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET showed brain metastases, indicative of blood-brain barrier disruptions. In 3 patients, (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET imaging also revealed primary breast tumors at the lesion sites initially identified by CT. The findings of this study indicated that (64)Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET is feasible for the identification of HER2-positive lesions in patients with primary and metastatic breast cancer. The dosimetry and pharmacologic safety results were acceptable at the dose required for adequate PET imaging.

  1. Biological Monitoring of HER-2 Positive Patients Using Serum HER-2 and Circulating Tumor Cells

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Fournier, Marcia

    2002-01-01

    ...: Blood samples were collected from 55 women with HER-2 positive (lHC+++ and/or FlSH+) metastatic breast cancer and 30 healthy female volunteers Blood samples were collected at baseline, during With the first cycle...

  2. {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT for systemic staging of patients with newly diagnosed ER-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulaner, Gary A.; Castillo, Raychel [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States); Weill Cornell Medical College, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States); Wills, Jonathan [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Information Systems, New York, NY (United States); Goenen, Mithat; Goldman, Debra A. [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, New York, NY (United States)

    2017-08-15

    This study assesses {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT for patients with newly diagnosed estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor-negative (ER+/HER2-) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. In this Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective study, our Healthcare Information System was screened for patients with ER+/HER2- and HER2+ breast cancer who underwent {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT prior to systemic or radiation therapy. The initial stage was determined from mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and/or surgery.{sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT was evaluated to identify unsuspected extra-axillary regional nodal and distant metastases. The proportion of patients upstaged overall and stratified by stage and receptor phenotypes was calculated along with confidence intervals (CI). A total of 238 patients with ER+/HER2- and 245 patients with HER2+ who met inclusion criteria were evaluated. For patients with ER+/HER2-breast cancer, {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT revealed unsuspected distant metastases in 3/71 (4%) initial stage IIA, 13/95 (14%) stage IIB, and 15/57 (26%) stage III. For patients with HER2+ breast cancer, {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT revealed unsuspected distant metastases in 3/72 (4%) initial stage IIA, 13/93 (14%) stage IIB, and 13/59 (22%) stage III. The overall upstaging rate for IIB was 14% (95% confidence interval (CI): 9-20%). {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT revealed distant metastases in 14% (95% CI: 9-20%) of patients with stage IIB ER+/HER2- and HER2+ breast cancer, which is similar to upstaging rates previously seen in patients with stage IIB triple-negative breast cancer (15%, 95% CI: 9-24%). The detection of unsuspected distant metastases in these patients alters treatment and prognosis. NCCN guidelines should consider adding patients with stage IIB breast cancer for consideration of systemic staging with {sup 18}F-FDG-PET/CT at the time of initial diagnosis. (orig.)

  3. New developments in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahta R

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Rita NahtaDepartments of Pharmacology and Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USAAbstract: Approximately 20%–30% of metastatic breast cancers show increased expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2 tyrosine kinase. Two HER2-specific therapies are currently approved for clinical treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody against HER2 and is approved for first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Lapatinib is a small molecule dual inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor and HER2 tyrosine kinases, and is approved for trastuzumab-refractory disease. Although trastuzumab is a highly effective therapy for patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer, a significant number of patients in the initial clinical trials of trastuzumab monotherapy showed resistance to trastuzumab-based therapy. Further, among those who did respond, the initial trials indicated that the median time to progression was less than 1 year. Similarly, lapatinib is effective in a subset of trastuzumab-refractory cases, but the majority of patients display resistance. This review discusses the multiple molecular mechanisms of resistance that have been proposed in the literature. In addition, novel agents that are being tested for efficacy against HER2-positive breast cancer, including the antibodies pertuzumab and trastuzumab-DM1 and the immunotoxin affitoxin, are reviewed. The introduction of trastuzumab has revolutionized the clinical care of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and has resulted in dramatic reductions in recurrences of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. The development and implementation of gene- and protein-based assays that measure potential molecular predictors of trastuzumab resistance will allow individualization of HER2-targeted therapeutic approaches

  4. Nuclear HER4 mediates acquired resistance to trastuzumab and is associated with poor outcome in HER2 positive breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nafi, Siti Norasikin Mohd; Generali, Daniele; Kramer-Marek, Gabriela; Gijsen, Merel; Strina, Carla; Cappelletti, Mariarosa; Andreis, Daniele; Haider, Syed; Li, Ji-Liang; Bridges, Esther; Capala, Jacek; Ioannis, Roxanis; Harris, Adrian L; Kong, Anthony

    2014-01-01

    The role of HER4 in breast cancer is controversial and its role in relation to trastuzumab resistance remains unclear. We showed that trastuzumab treatment and its acquired resistance induced HER4 upregulation, cleavage and nuclear translocation. However, knockdown of HER4 by specific siRNAs increased trastuzumab sensitivity and reversed its resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer cells. Preventing HER4 cleavage by a γ-secretase inhibitor and inhibiting HER4 tyrosine kinase activity by neratinib decreased trastuzumab-induced HER4 nuclear translocation and enhanced trastuzumab response. There was also increased nuclear HER4 staining in the tumours from BT474 xenograft mice and human patients treated with trastuzumab. Furthermore, nuclear HER4 predicted poor clinical response to trastuzumab monotherapy in patients undergoing a window study and was shown to be an independent poor prognostic factor in HER2 positive breast cancer. Our data suggest that HER4 plays a key role in relation to trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Therefore, our study provides novel findings that HER4 activation, cleavage and nuclear translocation influence trastuzumab sensitivity and resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Nuclear HER4 could be a potential prognostic and predictive biomarker and understanding the role of HER4 may provide strategies to overcome trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. PMID:25153719

  5. Standard Pathologic Features Can Be Used to Identify a Subset of Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2 Negative Patients Likely to Benefit from Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petruolo, Oriana A; Pilewskie, Melissa; Patil, Sujata; Barrio, Andrea V; Stempel, Michelle; Wen, Hannah Y; Morrow, Monica

    2017-09-01

    The benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancers and in invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is uncertain due to the low rates of pathologic complete response (pCR). The aim of this study was to determine if pathologic features can identify subsets likely to benefit from NAC. Patients with stage I-III ER+, HER2- breast cancer receiving NAC were retrospectively reviewed. Endpoints were downstaging to breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and nodal pCR after NAC. Patients were grouped by progesterone receptor (PR) status and grade/differentiation (high grade or poor [HP] vs. non-HP). From 2007 to 2016, 402 ER+/HER2- cancers in patients receiving NAC were identified. Median age was 50 years, 98% were clinical stage II-III, and 75% were cN+. Overall pCR rate was 5%; breast pCR in 7% and nodal pCR in 15% of cN+ patients (p benefit from NAC are those with PR- and HP tumors. Patients with ILC are unlikely to downstage in the breast or axilla compared with IDC. The use of these criteria can assist in defining the initial treatment approach.

  6. Differential peripheral blood gene expression profile based on Her2 expression on primary tumors of breast cancer patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oana Tudoran

    Full Text Available Breast cancer prognosis and treatment is highly dependent on the molecular features of the primary tumors. These tumors release specific molecules into the environment that trigger characteristic responses into the circulatory cells. In this study we investigated the expression pattern of 84 genes known to be involved in breast cancer signaling in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients with ER-, PR- primary tumors. The patients were grouped according to Her2 expression on the primary tumors in Her2+ and Her2- cohorts. Transcriptional analysis revealed 15 genes to be differentially expressed between the two groups highlighting that Her2 signaling in primary tumors could be associated with specific blood gene expression. We found CCNA1 to be up-regulated, while ERBB2, RASSF1, CDH1, MKI67, GATA3, GLI1, SFN, PTGS2, JUN, NOTCH1, CTNNB1, KRT8, SRC, and HIC1 genes were down-regulated in the blood of triple negative breast cancer patients compared to Her2+ cohort. IPA network analysis predicts that the identified genes are interconnected and regulate each other. These genes code for cell cycle regulators, cell adhesion molecules, transcription factors or signal transducers that modulate immune signaling, several genes being also associated with cancer progression and treatment response. These results indicate an altered immune signaling in the peripheral blood of triple negative breast cancer patients. The involvement of the immune system is necessary in favorable treatment response, therefore these results could explain the low response rates observed for triple negative breast cancer patients.

  7. Efficacy of everolimus with exemestane versus exemestane alone in Asian patients with HER2-negative, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in BOLERO-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noguchi, Shinzaburo; Masuda, Norikazu; Iwata, Hiroji; Mukai, Hirofumi; Horiguchi, Jun; Puttawibul, Puttisak; Srimuninnimit, Vichien; Tokuda, Yutaka; Kuroi, Katsumasa; Iwase, Hirotaka; Inaji, Hideo; Ohsumi, Shozo; Noh, Woo-Chul; Nakayama, Takahiro; Ohno, Shinji; Rai, Yoshiaki; Park, Byeong-Woo; Panneerselvam, Ashok; El-Hashimy, Mona; Taran, Tetiana; Sahmoud, Tarek; Ito, Yoshinori

    2014-11-01

    The addition of mTOR inhibitor everolimus (EVE) to exemestane (EXE) was evaluated in an international, phase 3 study (BOLERO-2) in patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR(+)) breast cancer refractory to letrozole or anastrozole. The safety and efficacy of anticancer treatments may be influenced by ethnicity (Sekine et al. in Br J Cancer 99:1757-62, 2008). Safety and efficacy results from Asian versus non-Asian patients in BOLERO-2 are reported. Patients were randomized (2:1) to 10 mg/day EVE + EXE or placebo (PBO) + EXE. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival, response rate, clinical benefit rate, and safety. Of 143 Asian patients, 98 received EVE + EXE and 45 received PBO + EXE. Treatment with EVE + EXE significantly improved median PFS versus PBO + EXE among Asian patients by 38 % (HR = 0.62; 95 % CI, 0.41-0.94). Median PFS was also improved among non-Asian patients by 59 % (HR = 0.41; 95 % CI, 0.33-0.50). Median PFS duration among EVE-treated Asian patients was 8.48 versus 4.14 months for PBO + EXE, and 7.33 versus 2.83 months, respectively, in non-Asian patients. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events (stomatitis, anemia, elevated liver enzymes, hyperglycemia, and dyspnea) occurred at similar frequencies in Asian and non-Asian patients. Grade 1/2 interstitial lung disease occurred more frequently in Asian patients. Quality of life was similar between treatment arms in Asian patients. Adding EVE to EXE provided substantial clinical benefit in both Asian and non-Asian patients with similar safety profiles. This combination represents an improvement in the management of postmenopausal women with HR(+)/HER2(-) advanced breast cancer progressing on nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors, regardless of ethnicity.

  8. Phase I Study of 68Ga-HER2-Nanobody for PET/CT Assessment of HER2 Expression in Breast Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keyaerts, Marleen; Xavier, Catarina; Heemskerk, Johannes; Devoogdt, Nick; Everaert, Hendrik; Ackaert, Chloé; Vanhoeij, Marian; Duhoux, Francois P; Gevaert, Thierry; Simon, Philippe; Schallier, Denis; Fontaine, Christel; Vaneycken, Ilse; Vanhove, Christian; De Greve, Jacques; Lamote, Jan; Caveliers, Vicky; Lahoutte, Tony

    2016-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status is one of the major tumor characteristics in breast cancer to guide therapy. Anti-HER2 treatment has clear survival advantages in HER2-positive breast carcinoma patients. Heterogeneity in HER2 expression between primary tumor and metastasis has repeatedly been described, resulting in the need to reassess HER2 status during the disease course. To avoid repeated biopsy with potential bias due to tumor heterogeneity, Nanobodies directed against HER2 have been developed as probes for molecular imaging. Nanobodies, which are derived from unique heavy-chain-only antibodies, are the smallest antigen-binding antibody fragments and have ideal characteristics for PET imaging. The primary aims were assessment of safety, biodistribution, and dosimetry. The secondary aim was to investigate tumor-targeting potential. In total, 20 women with primary or metastatic breast carcinoma (score of 2+ or 3+ on HER2 immunohistochemical assessment) were included. Anti-HER2-Nanobody was labeled with (68)Ga via a NOTA derivative. Administered activities were 53-174 MBq (average, 107 MBq). PET/CT scans for dosimetry assessment were obtained at 10, 60, and 90 min after administration. Physical evaluation and blood analysis were performed for safety evaluation. Biodistribution was analyzed for 11 organs using MIM software; dosimetry was assessed using OLINDA/EXM. Tumor-targeting potential was assessed in primary and metastatic lesions. No adverse reactions occurred. A fast blood clearance was observed, with only 10% of injected activity remaining in the blood at 1 h after injection. Uptake was seen mainly in the kidneys, liver, and intestines. The effective dose was 0.043 mSv/MBq, resulting in an average of 4.6 mSv per patient. The critical organ was the urinary bladder wall, with a dose of 0.406 mGy/MBq. In patients with metastatic disease, tracer accumulation well above the background level was demonstrated in most identified sites of

  9. Expression of Her-2/neu in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shamekh R

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Rania Shamekh,1,* Marilin Rosa,2,* Zena Sayegh,2 Masoumeh Ghayouri,2 Richard Kim,3 Mokenge P Malafa,3 Domenico Coppola2 1Department of Pathology, University of South Florida, 2Department of Anatomic Pathology, 3Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-2, which is also frequently called human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her-2 or Her-2/neu, has been found to be overexpressed in various human cancers.Hypothesis: The aim of this pilot study was to explore the frequency of Her-2/neu gene amplification and protein expression in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHBC. We used the World Health Organization classification criteria for EHBC.Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study using 88 tissue samples, including 45 samples from non-neoplastic biliary tissue (NNB and 43 samples of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHBC. A tissue microarray including NNB and EHBC was constructed and analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC and dual in situ hybridization for Her-2/neu protein expression and amplification, respectively. The Her-2/neu expression was scored following the guidelines used for the ToGA study.Results: All NNB samples and all but one EHBC samples showed no expression of Her-2/neu by IHC. The one EHBC case immunohistochemically positive for Her-2/neu had an IHC score of 3+. Her-2/neu gene amplification was present in two EHBC samples only and included the case found to be positive by IHC.Conclusion: Our findings are similar to those reported in the literature. Although Her-2/neu overexpression has been documented in many types of cancer, Her-2/neu protein overexpression tends to have no role in the development and/or progression of EHBC. Keywords: extrahepatic, cholangiocarcinoma, Her-2/neu, ToGA, immunohistochemistry

  10. Incidence, symptoms, treatment, and prognosis in 113 patients with brain/meningeal metastasis from breast cancer. Screening in accordance with hormone receptor and HER2/neu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kan, Norimichi; Takada, Masayasu; Kuwata, Katsuya

    2009-01-01

    In 113 of 422 patients with metastatic/recurrent breast cancer (MBC who were treated in our hospital after 2001, brain/meningeal metastasis was detected. In 240 patients who died, the overall incidence of brain/meningeal metastasis was 36.3% (n=87). With respect to hormone receptor (HR) and HER2 presence, metastasis was detected in 32 (58.2%) of 55 patients showing HR(-) and HER2(+), 17 (39.5%) of 43 patients showing HR(-) and HER2(-), 19 (31.5%) of 54 patients showing HR(+) and HER2(+), and 17 (20%) of 85 patients showing HR(+) and HER2(-) (brain metastasis was detected in 2 of 3 patients in whom HR or HER2 was unclear); the incidence was significantly higher in HR(-) or HER2(+) patients. Of our series including surviving patients, asymptomatic brain metastasis was detected using contrast-enhanced MRI in 24 HER2(+) patients. In the above 113 patients, the median survival time (MST) after diagnosis was 10 months. However, it was 17 months in 24 patients who underwent screening. For treatment, whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) mainly with a gamma knife was performed. During a follow-up of more than 12 months, 1 to 4 sessions of treatment (mean: 2.39, median: 2) were required. In 50% of the patients, both WBRT and SRS were performed. There were no HR- or HER2- related differences in survival after brain metastasis. However, the MST was 34 months in 7 patients in whom the 1st relapse site involved the brain. In the future, the usefulness of early treatment via brain metastasis screening should be reviewed in HR(-) and HER2(+) patients. (author)

  11. Quantitative measurements of tumoral p95HER2 protein expression in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab: independent validation of the p95HER2 clinical cutoff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchnowska, Renata; Sperinde, Jeff; Chenna, Ahmed; Haddad, Mojgan; Paquet, Agnes; Lie, Yolanda; Weidler, Jodi M; Huang, Weidong; Winslow, John; Jankowski, Tomasz; Czartoryska-Arłukowicz, Bogumiła; Wysocki, Piotr J; Foszczyńska-Kłoda, Małgorzata; Radecka, Barbara; Litwiniuk, Maria M; Zok, Jolanta; Wiśniewski, Michał; Zuziak, Dorota; Biernat, Wojciech; Jassem, Jacek

    2014-05-15

    P95HER2 (p95) is a truncated form of the HER2, which lacks the trastuzumab-binding site and contains a hyperactive kinase domain. Previously, an optimal clinical cutoff of p95 expression for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was defined using a quantitative VeraTag assay (Monogram Biosciences) in a training set of trastuzumab-treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. In the current study, the predictive value of the p95 VeraTag assay cutoff established in the training set was retrospectively validated for PFS and OS in an independent series of 240 trastuzumab-treated MBC patients from multiple institutions. In the subset of 190 tumors assessed as HER2-total (H2T)-positive using the quantitative HERmark assay (Monogram Biosciences), p95 VeraTag values above the predefined cutoff correlated with shorter PFS (HR = 1.43; P = 0.039) and shorter OS (HR = 1.94; P = 0.0055) where both outcomes were stratified by hormone receptor status and tumor grade. High p95 expression correlated with shorter PFS (HR = 2.41; P = 0.0003) and OS (HR = 2.57; P = 0.0025) in the hormone receptor-positive subgroup of patients (N = 78), but not in the hormone receptor-negative group. In contrast with the quantitative p95 VeraTag measurements, p95 immunohistochemical expression using the same antibody was not significantly correlated with outcomes. The consistency in the p95 VeraTag cutoff across different cohorts of patients with MBC treated with trastuzumab justifies additional studies using blinded analyses in larger series of patients. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  12. Expression of HER2/Neu in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Sergio; Pomerantz, Alan; Demichelis-Gomez, Roberta; Barrera-Lumbreras, Georgina; Barrales-Benitez, Olga; Aguayo-Gonzalez, Alvaro

    2016-01-01

    The expression of HER2/neu in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been reported in previous studies. The objective of this research was to study the expression of HER2/neu on the blasts of patients with acute leukemia from the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran. From June 2015 to February 2016, a HER2/neu monoclonal antibody was added to the panel of antibodies that we routinely use in patients with acute leukemia. An expression of ≥ 30% was considered positive. We studied 33 patients: 19 had de novo leukemia (57.6%), three (9.1%) were in relapse, and in 11 (33.3%) their status could not be specified. Seventeen patients (51.5%) were classified as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a median expression of HER2/neu of 0.3% (range 0-90.2). Three patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia were positive for HER2/neu: 89.4%, 90.9%, and 62.4%. The first and third patient had de novo B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The second patient was in second relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplant. All three patients were categorized as high-risk at the time of diagnosis. In the studied Mexican population, we found a positive expression of HER2/neu in 17% of the B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, similar to previous studies in which the expression was found in 15-50%.

  13. Immunohistochemical detection of Her-2/neu overexpression in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for Her-2/neu was performed on 10% formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded primary carcinoma of the breast from 83 patients, between 2003 and 2007 using anti-Her-2/neu rabbit polyclonal antibody (DakoCytomation, CA, USA) and reactivity detected by an avidin-biotin ...

  14. Targeting HER 1 and 2 in breast cancer with lapatinib

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerald M. Higa

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Numerous clinical trials support the biological relevance of the HER2 oncoprotein in breast cancer. In spite of improved outcomes, overexpression of the receptor is associated with increased risks of disease relapse, even in patients with early, and potentially curable, disease. Until recently, development of resistance to trastuzumab left patients with no therapeutic option other than specifically targeted HER2. This paper provides an in-depth review of lapatinib, a dual HER kinase inhibitor, as well as some insight into three HER family members, in breast cancer.

  15. Patient-reported Quality of Life and Treatment Satisfaction in Patients With HR+/HER2- Advanced/Metastatic Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Robert; Mitra, Debanjali; de Courcy, Jonathan; Iyer, Shrividya

    2017-08-01

    Globally, around 1.67 million new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year, with advanced breast cancer (ABC-Stage III) and metastatic breast cancer (MBC-Stage IV) together accounting for up to 22% of incident cases. Hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR + /HER2 - ) breast cancer comprises 66% of ABC/MBC. Understanding disease-specific health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction with treatments currently available for HR + /HER2 - ABC/MBC in clinical practice is essential for assessing potential unmet need in this patient population. Data on treatment patterns in patients with HR + /HER2 - ABC/MBC were collected from oncology practices across the United States and Europe in a cross-sectional study in a clinical practice setting, the Adelphi Real World Advanced Breast Cancer Disease Specific Programme. A subset of patients included in the study completed several self-reported tools, including the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast and the Cancer Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire. Analyses were conducted using data from the overall cohort and stratified by current treatment, metastatic sites, and number of prior therapy lines. Overall, 739 patients were recruited by 173 oncologists; 83% of patients had MBC, with the balance having ABC. The majority of patients with MBC had visceral metastases without bone metastases, and similar percentages of the total study population (≈40%) were receiving chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. Patients receiving only endocrine therapy had significantly better cancer-specific quality of life than did those receiving chemotherapy. Endocrine therapy also associated with fewer concerns about side effects and higher treatment satisfaction than chemotherapy. Statistically lower scores, indicating poorer well-being, were observed in patients with both bone and visceral metastases compared with those with either bone-only or visceral-only metastases for all but the

  16. Combination neratinib (HKI-272) and paclitaxel therapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, L W-C; Xu, B; Gupta, S; Freyman, A; Zhao, Y; Abbas, R; Vo Van, M-L; Bondarenko, I

    2013-05-28

    Neratinib is a potent irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has demonstrated antitumour activity and an acceptable safety profile in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2-positive breast cancer and other solid tumours. This was a phase I/II, open-label, two-part study. Part 1 was a dose-escalation study to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of neratinib plus paclitaxel in patients with solid tumours. Part 2 evaluated the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of the combination at the MTD in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Eight patients were included in the dose-escalation study; no dose-limiting toxicities were observed, and an MTD of oral neratinib 240 mg once daily plus intravenous paclitaxel 80 mg m(-2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle was determined. A total of 102 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer were enrolled in part 2. The overall median treatment duration was 47.9 weeks (range: 0.1-147.3 weeks). Common treatment-emergent adverse events (all grades/grade ≥3) included diarrhoea (92%/29%; none grade 4), peripheral sensory neuropathy (51%/3%), neutropenia (50%/20%), alopecia (46%/0%), leukopenia (41%/18%), anaemia (37%/8%), and nausea (34%/1%). Three (3%) patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event (mouth ulceration, left ventricular ejection fraction reduction, and acute renal failure). Among the 99 evaluable patients in part 2 of the study, the overall response rate (ORR) was 73% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62.9-81.2%), including 7 (7%) patients who achieved a complete response; an additional 9 (9%) patients achieved stable disease for at least 24 weeks. ORR was 71% among patients with 0/1 prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease and no prior lapatinib, and 77% among those with 2/3 prior chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease with prior lapatinib permitted. Kaplan-Meier median progression-free survival was 57.0 weeks (95% CI: 47.7-81.6 weeks

  17. Evaluation of intratumoral HER-2 heterogeneity by fluorescence in situ hybridization in invasive breast cancer: a single institution study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sarah; Jung, Woohee; Hong, Soon-Won; Koo, Ja Seung

    2011-08-01

    This study aimed to determine the incidence and characteristics of HER-2 gene heterogeneity in invasive breast cancer in a single institution. Included were 971 cases of primary invasive breast cancer diagnosed between 2008 and 2010. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) image files were retrospectively reviewed and HER-2 gene heterogeneity was defined as more than 5% but less than 50% of analyzed invasive tumor cells with a HER-2/Chr17 ratio higher than 2.2, according to the College of American Pathologists guidelines. HER-2 gene heterogeneity was identified in 24 (2.5%) cases. The mean proportion of invasive tumor cells with a HER-2/chromosome 17 ratio higher than 2.2 was 11.6% (range: 5%-25%). Of 24 cases, HER-2 gene status was not amplified in 8, showed borderline amplification in 2, and amplification in 14. All HER-2 amplification cases were low-grade. In conclusion, HER-2 gene heterogeneity of invasive breast cancer is identified in routine FISH examination. This may affect the results of HER-2 gene amplification status in FISH studies.

  18. HER2 specific delivery of methotrexate by dendrimer conjugated anti-HER2 mAb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shukla, Rameshwer; Thomas, Thommey P; Desai, Ankur M; Kotlyar, Alina; Park, Steve J; Baker, James R Jr

    2008-01-01

    Herceptin, a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to human growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), was covalently attached to a fifth-generation (G5) polyamidoamine dendrimer containing the cytotoxic drug methotrexate. The specific binding and internalization of this conjugate labeled with FITC was clearly demonstrated in cell lines overexpressing HER2 by flow cytometry as well as confocal microscopic analysis. In addition, binding and uptake of antibody conjugated dendrimers was completely blocked by excess non-conjugated herceptin. The dendrimer conjugate was also shown to inhibit the dihydrofolate reductase with similar activity to methotrexate. Co-localization experiments with lysotracker red indicate that antibody conjugate, although internalized efficiently into cells, has an unusually long residence time in the lysosome. Somewhat lower cytotoxicity of the conjugate in comparison to free methotrexate was attributed to the slow release of methotrexate from the conjugate and its long retention in the lysosomal pocket

  19. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction detection of HER2 amplification in formalin fixed paraffin embedded breast and gastric carcinoma samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yazhen; Lu, Dan; Lira, Maruja E; Xu, Qing; Du, Yunzhi; Xiong, Jianghong; Mao, Mao; Chung, Hyun Cheol; Zheng, Guangjuan

    2016-04-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a key driver of tumorigenesis, and over-expression as a result of HER2 gene amplification has been observed in a number of solid tumors. Recently HER2 has become an important biomarker for the monoclonal antibody treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast and advanced gastric cancer. The HER2 targeting antibody trastuzumab treatment requires accurate measurement of HER2 levels for proper diagnosis. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) with highly direct, precise and absolute nucleic acid quantification could be used to detect HER2 amplification levels. Our objective was to evaluate a robust, accurate and less subjective application of ddPCR for HER2 amplification levels and test the assay performance in clinical formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast and gastric carcinoma samples. Genomic DNA from HER2 amplified cell line SK-BR-3 was used to set up the ddPCR assays. The copy number of HER2 was compared to the chromosome 17 centromere reference gene (CEP17), expressed as HER2:CEP17 ratio. Genomic DNAs of FFPE specimens from 145 Asian patients with breast and gastric carcinomas were assayed using both standard methods, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and ddPCR. Based on 145 clinical breast and gastric carcinoma cases, our study demonstrated a high concordance of ddPCR results to FISH and IHC. In breast cancer specimens, the ddPCR results had high concordance with FISH and IHC defined HER2 status with a sensitivity of 90.9% (30/33) and a specificity of 100% (77/77). In gastric cancer specimens that were concordant in both FISH and IHC, our assay was 95.5% concordant with FISH and IHC (21/22). ddPCR has the advantage of automation and also allows levels of HER2 amplification to be easily evaluated in large numbers of samples, and presents a potential option to define HER2 status. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Brain metastases from breast cancer: prognostic significance of HER-2 overexpression, effect of trastuzumab and cause of death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Scodan, Romuald; Jouanneau, Ludivine; Massard, Christophe; Gutierrez, Maya; Kirova, Youlia; Cherel, Pascal; Gachet, Julie; Labib, Alain; Mouret-Fourme, Emmanuelle

    2011-01-01

    To access the prognostic significance of HER-2 overexpression, the effect of trastuzumab and the cause of death in patients with brain metastases (BM) from breast cancer (BC). We analyzed the outcome of 130 patients with BM from BC who received whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) (without surgery or radiosurgery) between January 1998 and April 2006. Demographic data, tumor characteristics, and treatments were prospectively recorded. The impact of HER-2 overexpression and trastuzumab-based therapy on overall survival (OS) and the cause of death were evaluated. The median follow-up for the whole population was 6.25 months (mean: 9.15; range: 0.23-53). The median survival time and 1-year survival rates after BM diagnosis were 7.43 months and 35.8% (95% CI: 28-45.7) respectively. The median survival time for HER-2 negative patients (n = 78), HER-2 positive patients not treated with trastuzumab (n = 20) and HER-2 positive patients treated with trastuzumab (n = 32) were 5.9 months, 5.6 months and 19.53 months, respectively. The 1-year survival rates were 26.1%, 29.2% and 62.6% respectively, (p < 0.004). Among the 18 HER-2 positive patients treated with trastuzumab who died, 11 (61%) apparently succumbed from CNS progression, in the face of stable or responsive non-CNS disease. Trastuzumab-based therapy was associated with a 51% reduction in the risk of death (multiadjusted hazard ratio: 0.49; 95% CI, 0.29-0.83). In our experience, trastuzumab-based therapy for HER-overexpressing tumors was associated with improved survival in BM BC patients. This subgroup of patients may benefit from innovative approaches, in order to obtain better intra cerebral control

  1. The correlation between dual-color chromogenic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization in assessing HER2 gene amplification in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Marianne; Rasmussen, Birgitte Bruun

    2009-06-01

    Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is regarded as the gold standard method for detecting HER2 gene amplification. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) is a promising alternative to FISH because CISH has the advantages of being a method evaluated by bright-field microscopy and the generated chromogenic signals are also stable. This study presents a dual color CISH for simultaneous detection of the HER2 gene and chromosome 17. The CISH method performs a chromogenic detection "on top" of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved HER2 FISH pharmDx method, where the fluorochrome-labeled probes are detected using enzyme-labeled antibodies and visualized by chromogenic enzymatic reactions. The HER2 status (amplified/not amplified and HER2 ratios) was evaluated by the CISH method and compared with results obtained by the FDA-approved FISH method. Of the 72 successfully investigated invasive breast carcinomas, both FISH and CISH detected HER2 amplification in 24 cases and nonamplification was detected in 47 cases. One case showed a discrepancy between FISH and CISH. The concordance between CISH and FISH was found to be almost perfect (98.6%). The correlation between the HER2 ratios obtained by the 2 methods showed excellent correlation (correlation coefficient 0.95). In conclusion, it is possible by dual-color CISH method to demonstrate HER2 genes and chromosome 17 genes, in the same tissue section and reliably assess HER2 status. The CISH method is a very promising alternative to the FISH method.

  2. p95HER2 Methionine 611 Carboxy-Terminal Fragment Is Predictive of Trastuzumab Adjuvant Treatment Benefit in the FinHer Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sperinde, Jeff; Huang, Weidong; Vehtari, Aki; Chenna, Ahmed; Kellokumpu-Lehtinen, Pirkko-Liisa; Winslow, John; Bono, Petri; Lie, Yolanda S; Petropoulos, Christos J; Weidler, Jodi; Joensuu, Heikki

    2018-03-13

    Purpose: Expression of p95HER2 (p95), a truncated form of the HER2 receptor, which lacks the trastuzumab binding site but retains kinase activity, has been reported as a prognostic biomarker for poor outcomes in patients with trastuzumab-treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The impact of p95 expression on trastuzumab treatment efficacy in early HER2-positive breast cancer is less clear. In the current study, p95 was tested as a predictive marker of trastuzumab treatment benefit in the HER2-positive subset of the FinHer adjuvant phase III trial. Experimental Design: In the FinHer trial, 232 patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer were randomized to receive chemotherapy plus 9 weeks of trastuzumab or no trastuzumab treatment. Quantitative p95 protein expression was measured in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples using the p95 VeraTag assay (Monogram Biosciences), specific for the M611 form of p95. Quantitative HER2 protein expression was measured using the HERmark assay (Monogram Biosciences). Distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was used as the primary outcome measure. Results: In the arm receiving chemotherapy only, increasing log 10 (p95) correlated with shorter DDFS (HR, 2.0; P = 0.02). In the arm receiving chemotherapy plus trastuzumab ( N = 95), increasing log 10 (p95) was not correlated with a shorter DDFS. In a combined analysis of both treatment arms, high breast tumor p95 content was significantly correlated with trastuzumab treatment benefit in multivariate models (interaction P = 0.01). Conclusions: A high p95HER2/HER2 ratio identified patients with metastatic breast cancer with poor outcomes on trastuzumab-based therapies. Further investigation of the p95HER2/HER2 ratio as a potential prognostic or predictive biomarker for HER2-targeted therapy is warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 1-7. ©2018 AACR. ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

  3. Microenvironment-Mediated Mechanisms of Resistance to HER2 Inhibitors Differ between HER2+ Breast Cancer Subtypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, Spencer S; Dane, Mark; Chin, Koei; Tatarova, Zuzana; Liu, Moqing; Liby, Tiera; Thompson, Wallace; Smith, Rebecca; Nederlof, Michel; Bucher, Elmar; Kilburn, David; Whitman, Matthew; Sudar, Damir; Mills, Gordon B; Heiser, Laura M; Jonas, Oliver; Gray, Joe W; Korkola, James E

    2018-03-28

    Extrinsic signals are implicated in breast cancer resistance to HER2-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). To examine how microenvironmental signals influence resistance, we monitored TKI-treated breast cancer cell lines grown on microenvironment microarrays composed of printed extracellular matrix proteins supplemented with soluble proteins. We tested ∼2,500 combinations of 56 soluble and 46 matrix microenvironmental proteins on basal-like HER2+ (HER2E) or luminal-like HER2+ (L-HER2+) cells treated with the TKIs lapatinib or neratinib. In HER2E cells, hepatocyte growth factor, a ligand for MET, induced resistance that could be reversed with crizotinib, an inhibitor of MET. In L-HER2+ cells, neuregulin1-β1 (NRG1β), a ligand for HER3, induced resistance that could be reversed with pertuzumab, an inhibitor of HER2-HER3 heterodimerization. The subtype-specific responses were also observed in 3D cultures and murine xenografts. These results, along with bioinformatic pathway analysis and siRNA knockdown experiments, suggest different mechanisms of resistance specific to each HER2+ subtype: MET signaling for HER2E and HER2-HER3 heterodimerization for L-HER2+ cells. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Pyrosequencing-Based Assays for Rapid Detection of HER2 and HER3 Mutations in Clinical Samples Uncover an E332E Mutation Affecting HER3 in Retroperitoneal Leiomyosarcoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula González-Alonso

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Mutations in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (HER are associated with poor prognosis of several types of solid tumors. Although HER-mutation detection methods are currently available, such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS, alternative pyrosequencing allow the rapid characterization of specific mutations. We developed specific PCR-based pyrosequencing assays for identification of most prevalent HER2 and HER3 mutations, including S310F/Y, R678Q, L755M/P/S/W, V777A/L/M, 774-776 insertion, and V842I mutations in HER2, as well as M91I, V104M/L, D297N/V/Y, and E332E/K mutations in HER3. We tested 85 Formalin Fixed and Paraffin Embbeded (FFPE samples and we detected three HER2-V842I mutations in colorectal carcinoma (CRC, ovarian carcinoma, and pancreatic carcinoma patients, respectively, and a HER2-L755M mutation in a CRC specimen. We also determined the presence of a HER3-E332K mutation in an urothelial carcinoma sample, and two HER3-D297Y mutations, in both gastric adenocarcinoma and CRC specimens. The D297Y mutation was previously detected in breast and gastric tumors, but not in CRC. Moreover, we found a not-previously-described HER3-E332E synonymous mutation in a retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma patient. The pyrosequencing assays presented here allow the detection and characterization of specific HER2 and HER3 mutations. These pyrosequencing assays might be implemented in routine diagnosis for molecular characterization of HER2/HER3 receptors as an alternative to complex NGS approaches.

  5. Targeting the HER family with Pan-HER effectively overcomes resistance to cetuximab

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iida, Mari; Bahrar, Harsh; Brand, Toni M; Pearson, Hannah E; Coan, John P; Orbuch, Rachel A; Flanigan, Bailey G; Swick, Adam D; Prabakaran, Prashanth; Lantto, Johan; Horak, Ivan D.; Kragh, Michael; Salgia, Ravi; Kimple, Randy J; Wheeler, Deric L

    2016-01-01

    Cetuximab, an antibody against the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) has shown efficacy in treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), metastatic colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite the clinical success of cetuximab, many patients do not respond to cetuximab. Furthermore, virtually all patients who do initially respond become refractory, highlighting both intrinsic and acquired resistance to cetuximab as significant clinical problems. To understand mechanistically how cancerous cells acquire resistance, we previously developed models of acquired resistance using the H226 NSCLC and UM-SCC1 HNSCC cell lines. Cetuximab-resistant clones showed a robust upregulation and dependency on the HER family receptors EGFR, HER2 and HER3. Here, we examined Pan-HER, a mixture of six antibodies targeting these receptors on cetuximab-resistant clones. In cells exhibiting acquired or intrinsic resistance to cetuximab, Pan-HER treatment decreased all three receptors’ protein levels and down-stream activation of AKT and MAPK. This correlated with decreased cell proliferation in cetuximab-resistant clones. To determine whether Pan-HER had a therapeutic benefit in vivo, we established de novo cetuximab-resistant mouse xenografts and treated resistant tumors with Pan-HER. This regimen resulted in a superior growth delay of cetuximab-resistant xenografts compared to mice continued on cetuximab. Furthermore, intrinsically cetuximab-resistant HNSCC patient-derived xenograft tumors treated with Pan-HER exhibited significant growth delay compared to vehicle/cetuximab controls. These results suggest that targeting HER family receptors simultaneously with Pan-HER is a promising treatment strategy for tumors displaying intrinsic or acquired resistance to cetuximab. PMID:27422810

  6. Relationship Between HER2 Status and Prognosis in Women With Brain Metastases From Breast Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Zhiyuan; Marko, Nicholas F.; Chao, Sam T.; Angelov, Lilyana; Vogelbaum, Michael A.; Suh, John H.; Barnett, Gene H.; Weil, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To analyze factors affecting outcomes in breast cancer patients with brain metastases (BM) and characterize the role of HER2 status. Methods and Materials: We identified 264 breast cancer patients treated between 1999 and 2008 for BM. HER2 status was known definitively for 172 patients and was used to define cohorts in which survival and risk factors were analyzed. Results: Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated improved mean overall survival (105.7 vs. 74.3 months, p < 0.02), survival after diagnosis of BM (neurologic survival, NS) (32.2 vs. 18.9 months, p < 0.01), and survival after treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery (RS) (31.3 vs. 14.1, p < 0.01) in HER2+ patients relative to those with HER2− breast cancer. HER2+ status was an independent, positive prognostic factor for survival on univariate and multivariate hazard analysis (hazard ratio: overall survival = 0.66, 0.18; NS = 0.50, 0.34). Additionally, subgroup analysis suggests that stereotactic radiosurgery may be of particular benefit in patients with HER2+ tumors. Conclusions: Overall survival, NS, and RS are improved in patients with HER2+ tumors, relative to those with HER2− lesions, and HER2 amplification is independently associated with increased survival in patients with BM from breast cancer. Our findings suggest that the prognosis of HER2+ patients may be better than that of otherwise similar patients who are HER2− and that stereotactic radiosurgery may be beneficial for some patients with HER2+ lesions.

  7. A time and motion study of subcutaneous versus intravenous trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    De Cock, Erwin; Pivot, Xavier; Hauser, Nik

    2016-01-01

    Within PrefHer (NCT01401166), patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) preferred subcutaneous (SC) over intravenous (IV) trastuzumab. We undertook a prospective, observational time and motion study to quantify patients' time in infusion chairs and active HCP time in PrefHer. Patients with HER2......-positive early breast cancer received four adjuvant cycles of SC trastuzumab (600 mg fixed dose via SC single-use injection device [SID, Cohort 1] or SC handheld syringe [HHS, Cohort 2]) then four cycles of standard IV trastuzumab or the reverse sequence. Generic case report forms for IV and SC management...... (range across countries: 4-16; P trastuzumab, delivered via SID or HHS, saved patient chair and active HCP times versus IV infusion, supporting a transition to either SC method....

  8. Modeling ductal carcinoma in situ: a HER2-Notch3 collaboration enables luminal filling.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Pradeep, C-R

    2012-02-16

    A large fraction of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive precursor lesion of invasive breast cancer, overexpresses the HER2\\/neu oncogene. The ducts of DCIS are abnormally filled with cells that evade apoptosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We overexpressed HER2 in mammary epithelial cells and observed growth factor-independent proliferation. When grown in extracellular matrix as three-dimensional spheroids, control cells developed a hollow lumen, but HER2-overexpressing cells populated the lumen by evading apoptosis. We demonstrate that HER2 overexpression in this cellular model of DCIS drives transcriptional upregulation of multiple components of the Notch survival pathway. Importantly, luminal filling required upregulation of a signaling pathway comprising Notch3, its cleaved intracellular domain and the transcriptional regulator HES1, resulting in elevated levels of c-MYC and cyclin D1. In line with HER2-Notch3 collaboration, drugs intercepting either arm reverted the DCIS-like phenotype. In addition, we report upregulation of Notch3 in hyperplastic lesions of HER2 transgenic animals, as well as an association between HER2 levels and expression levels of components of the Notch pathway in tumor specimens of breast cancer patients. Therefore, it is conceivable that the integration of the Notch and HER2 signaling pathways contributes to the pathophysiology of DCIS.

  9. HER-2/neu and CD117 (c-kit overexpression in patients with pesticide exposure and extensive stage small cell lung carcinoma (ESSCLC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Potti Anil

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The rate of detection of HER-2/neu and CD117 (c-kit overexpression in small cell lung cancer (SCLC has varied widely; between 5–35% and 21–70% respectively. Methods To evaluate the relationship between pesticide exposure and HER-2/neu and CD117 overexpression in extensive stage SCLC (ESSCLC, we identified patients with ESSCLC and assessed pesticide exposure using a predetermined questionnaire. An exposure index (hours/day × days/year × years ≥ 2400 hours was considered as 'exposed.' HER-2/neu overexpression was evaluated on archival tissue using the DAKO Hercep test, and CD117 testing was performed using immunohistochemistry (A4052 polyclonal antibody. Results 193 ESSCLC patients were identified. Pesticide exposure data could be obtained on 174 patients (84 females and 109 males with a mean age of 68.5 years. 53/174 (30.4% revealed HER-2/neu overexpression. 54/174 (31.03% specimens showed CD117 overexpression by IHC. On multivariate analysis, HER-2/neu overexpression was associated with diminished survival (p neu overexpression and 47/121 (38.8% patients without overexpression had exposure to pesticides (odds ratio: 5.38; p Conclusion Pesticide exposure affects HER-2/neu but not CD117 overexpression. Future studies are needed to determine specific pesticide(s/pesticide components that are responsible for HER-2/neu overexpression in ESSCLC, and to validate our findings in other solid tumors that overexpress HER-2/neu.

  10. HER2,TOP2A, and TIMP-1 and responsiveness to adjuvant anthracycline-containing chemotherapy in high-risk breast cancer patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ejlertsen, Bent; Jensen, Maj-Britt; Nielsen, Kirsten V.

    2010-01-01

    analyzed individually. PATIENTS AND METHODS The Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) 89D trial randomly assigned 980 high-risk Danish breast cancer patients to CMF or CEF. Archival tumor tissue was analyzed TIMP-1, and HER2-negative and TIMP-1 immunoreactive tumors were classified as HT...... nonresponsive and otherwise HT responsive. Similarly, the 2T panel was constructed by combining TOP2A and TIMP-1; tumors with normal TOP2A status and TIMP-1 immunoreactivity were classified as 2T-nonresponsive and otherwise 2T-responsive. Results In total, 623 tumors were available for analysis, of which 154......(interaction) containing chemotherapy than HER2, TIMP-1, or TOP2A individually, and compared with these, 2T classifies a larger proportion of patients as sensitive to anthracyclines....

  11. Clinical significance of overexpression of NRG1 and its receptors, HER3 and HER4, in gastric cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Sumi; Koh, Jiwon; Nam, Soo Kyung; Park, Jung Ok; Lee, Sung Mi; Lee, Kyoungyul; Lee, Kyu Sang; Ahn, Sang-Hoon; Park, Do Joong; Kim, Hyung-Ho; Choe, Gheeyoung; Kim, Woo Ho; Lee, Hye Seung

    2018-03-01

    Neuregulin 1 (NRG1), a ligand for human epidermal growth factor (HER) 3 and HER4, can activates cell signaling pathways to promote carcinogenesis and metastasis. To investigate the clinicopathologic significance of NRG1 and its receptors, immunohistochemistry was performed for NRG1, HER3, and HER4 in 502 consecutive gastric cancers (GCs). Furthermore, HER2, microsatellite instability (MSI), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status were investigated. NRG1 gene copy number (GCN) was determined by dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in 388 available GCs. NRG1 overexpression was observed in 141 (28.1%) GCs and closely correlated with HER3 (P = 0.034) and HER4 (P overexpression was significantly associated with aggressive features, including infiltrative tumor growth, lymphovascular, and neural invasion, high pathologic stage, and poor prognosis (all P overexpression as an independent prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.040). HER3 and HER4 expressions were observed in 157 (31.3%) and 277 (55.2%), respectively. In contrast to NRG1, expression of these proteins was not associated with survival. NRG1 GCN gain (GCN ≥ 2.5) was detected in 14.7% patients, including two cases of amplification, and was moderately correlated with NRG1 overexpression (κ, 0.459; P overexpression in GC, overexpression of their ligand, NRG1, was associated with aggressive clinical features and represented an independent unfavorable prognostic factor. Therefore, NRG1 is a potential prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in GC patients.

  12. Emerging treatments for HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer: focus on neratinib.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kourie, Hampig Raphael; El Rassy, Elie; Clatot, Florian; de Azambuja, Evandro; Lambertini, Matteo

    2017-01-01

    Over the last decades, a better understanding of breast cancer heterogeneity provided tools for a biologically based personalization of anticancer treatments. In particular, the overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) by tumor cells provided a specific target in these HER2-positive tumors. The development of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, and its approval in 1998 for the treatment of patients with metastatic disease, radically changed the natural history of this aggressive subtype of breast cancer. These findings provided strong support for the continuous research in targeting the HER2 pathway and implementing the development of new anti-HER2 targeted agents. Besides trastuzumab, a series of other anti-HER2 agents have been developed and are currently being explored for the treatment of breast cancer patients, including those diagnosed with early-stage disease. Among these agents, neratinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that irreversibly inhibits HER1, HER2, and HER4 at the intracellular level, has shown promising results, including when administered to patients previously exposed to trastuzumab-based treatment. This article aims to review the available data on the role of the HER2 pathway in breast cancer and on the different targeted agents that have been studied or are currently under development for the treatment of patients with early-stage HER2-positive disease with a particular focus on neratinib.

  13. Optimal specific radioactivity of anti-HER2 Affibody molecules enables discrimination between xenografts with high and low HER2 expression levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tolmachev, Vladimir [Uppsala University, Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden); Uppsala University, Department of Medical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine, Uppsala (Sweden); Waallberg, Helena [Royal Institute of Technology, School of Biotechnology, Stockholm (Sweden); Sandstroem, Mattias [Uppsala University Hospital, Section of Hospital Physics, Department of Oncology, Uppsala (Sweden); Hansson, Monika; Wennborg, Anders [Affibody AB, Stockholm (Sweden); Orlova, Anna [Uppsala University, Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2011-03-15

    Overexpression of the HER2 receptor is a biomarker for predicting those patients who may benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Radiolabelled Affibody molecules can be used to visualize HER2 expression in tumour xenografts with high sensitivity. However, previous studies demonstrated that the difference in uptake in xenografts with high and low HER2 expression levels is not proportional to the difference in expression levels. We hypothesized that discrimination between tumours with high and low HER2 expression may be improved by increasing the injected dose (reducing the specific activity) of the tracer. The influence of injected dose of anti-HER2 {sup 111}In-DOTA-Z{sub HER2} {sub 342} Affibody molecule on uptake in SKOV-3 (high HER2 expression) and LS174T (low expression) xenografts was investigated. The optimal range of injected doses enabling discrimination between xenografts with high and low expression was determined. To verify this, tumour uptake was measured in mice carrying both SKOV-3 and LS174T xenografts after injection of either 1 or 15 {mu}g {sup 111}In-DOTA-Z{sub HER2:342}. An increase in the injected dose caused a linear decrease in the radioactivity accumulation in the LS174T xenografts (low HER2 expression). For SKOV-3 xenografts, the dependence of the tumour uptake on the injected dose was less dramatic. The injection of 10-30 {mu}g {sup 111}In-DOTA-Z{sub HER2:342} per mouse led to the largest difference in uptake between the two types of tumour. Experiments in mice bearing two xenografts confirmed that the optimized injected dose enabled better discrimination of expression levels. Careful optimization of the injected dose of Affibody molecules is required for maximum discrimination between xenografts with high and low levels of HER2 expression. This information has potential relevance for clinical imaging applications. (orig.)

  14. Amplification of HER2 and TOP2A and deletion of TOP2A genes in breast cancer investigated by new FISH probes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Karen E; Knudsen, Helle; Rasmussen, Birgitte

    2004-01-01

    ). In addition, the HercepTest was evaluated as a screening tool for choosing cases for FISH investigation of TOP2A gene aberrations. The HercepTest score 3+ identified HER2 gene amplification in 27 of 30 amplified tumours (sensitivity of 0.90) with a false-negative rate of 0.10 and a false-positive rate of 0...

  15. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors for brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchnowska, Renata; Loibl, Sibylle; Jassem, Jacek

    2018-06-01

    Approximately 30-50% of advanced HER2-positive breast cancer patients will develop central nervous system (CNS) metastases, with an annual risk of around 10%, and a half of them will die from brain progression. An increased risk of brain metastases is also seen in patients with early HER2-positive breast cancer administered curative therapy. Brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer patients usually constitute the first site of recurrence. The administration of anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies, trastuzumab and pertuzumab, considerably delays the onset of symptomatic brain disease: however, the limited penetration of these compounds into the CNS hinders their efficacy. The small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptors family have established activity in HER2-positive breast cancer in both advanced disease and neoadjuvant setting. Favorable physico-chemical properties of these compounds allow them for a more efficient penetration through the blood-brain barrier, and hold the promise for more effective prevention and treatment of brain metastases. In this article we review the role of currently available or investigational HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors: lapatinib, neratinib, afatinib and tucatinib in the treatment of brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Ekspresi HER2/neu(c-ErbB2 pada Kanker Kolorektal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nita Afriani

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Kanker kolorektal merupakan keganasan pada kolon dan rektum, penyebab morbiditas danmortalitas ketiga terbanyak diantara keganasan lainnya. Penelitian ekspresi HER2 pada kankerkolorektal memiliki rentang yang cukup jauh yaitu 0-83% dan belum pernah dipublikasi dilndonesia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menilai ekspresi HER2 pada kanker kolorektal. Studicross-secfiona/ dilakukan terhadap 51 sediaan blok parafin kanker kolorektal rentang tahunJanuari 2011-Desember 2012 di Departemen Patologi Anatorni RS Cipto MangunkusumoJakarta. Penilaian karakteristik sampel diambil dari rekam medis dan penilaian histopatologidari sediaan HE pasien kanker kolorektal. Pulasan imunohistokimia HER2 menggunakanantibodipoliklonalantiHER2(DAKO. Rata-rata usia penderita adalah 57.8t13.54tahun,58.8%penderita adalah laki-laki dan 41.2o/o perempuan. Semua sediaan adalah adenokarsinomakolorektal. Ekspresi HER2 positif ditemukan sebanyak 5(9.8% kasus.AbstractColorectal cancer is a neoplasia of colon and rectum ,and also the 3rd leading cause ofmorbidity and mortality among men and women in the world. HER2 expression has controversialresults ranging from 0-83% and never been pubiished in lndonesia. This research aims tostudy HER2 expression in colorectal cancer. Cross-sectional study was conducted in 51 casesof colorectal cancer from January 2011 until December 2012 in Pathology Department ofCipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. Patient characteristic was reviewed from medical record andhistopathologic was evaluated from HE slides. lmunohistochemistry staining used anti HER2polyclonal antibody frorn DAKO. Mean age was 57.8113.54 years, 58.8% were males and41.2o4 were females. Positive HER2 was 5 cases (9.8%.

  17. Evaluation of the prognostic role of centromere 17 gain and HER2/topoisomerase II alpha gene status and protein expression in patients with breast cancer treated with anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy: pooled analysis of two Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG) phase III trials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fountzilas, George; Tsolaki, Eleftheria; Televantou, Despina; Timotheadou, Eleni; Koutras, Angelos; Klouvas, George; Samantas, Epaminontas; Pisanidis, Nikolaos; Karanikiotis, Charisios; Sfakianaki, Ioanna; Pavlidis, Nicholas; Dafni, Urania; Gogas, Helen; Linardou, Helena; Kalogeras, Konstantine T; Pectasides, Dimitrios; Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Bobos, Mattheos; Kotoula, Vassiliki; Batistatou, Anna; Xanthakis, Ioannis; Papadimitriou, Christos; Kostopoulos, Ioannis; Koletsa, Triantafillia

    2013-01-01

    The HER2 gene has been established as a valid biological marker for the treatment of breast cancer patients with trastuzumab and probably other agents, such as paclitaxel and anthracyclines. The TOP2A gene has been associated with response to anthracyclines. Limited information exists on the relationship of HER2/TOP2A gene status in the presence of centromere 17 (CEP17) gain with outcome of patients treated with anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples from 1031 patients with high-risk operable breast cancer, enrolled in two consecutive phase III trials, were assessed in a central laboratory by fluorescence in situ hybridization for HER2/TOP2A gene amplification and CEP17 gain (CEP17 probe). Amplification of HER2 and TOP2A were defined as a gene/CEP17 ratio of >2.2 and ≥2.0, respectively, or gene copy number higher than 6. Additionally, HER2, TopoIIa, ER/PgR and Ki67 protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and patients were classified according to their IHC phenotype. Treatment consisted of epirubicin-based adjuvant chemotherapy followed by hormonal therapy and radiation, as indicated. HER2 amplification was found in 23.7% of the patients and TOP2A amplification in 10.1%. In total, 41.8% of HER2-amplified tumors demonstrated TOP2A co-amplification. The median (range) of HER2, TOP2A and CEP17 gain was 2.55 (0.70-45.15), 2.20 (0.70-26.15) and 2.00 (0.70-26.55), respectively. Forty percent of the tumors had CEP17 gain (51% of those with HER2 amplification). Adjusting for treatment groups in the Cox model, HER2 amplification, TOP2A amplification, CEP17 gain and HER2/TOP2A co-amplification were not associated with time to relapse or time to death. HER2 amplification, TOP2A amplification, CEP17 gain and HER2/TOP2A co-amplification were not associated with outcome in high-risk breast cancer patients treated with anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Australian New Zealand Clinical

  18. HER-2 amplification in tubular carcinoma of the breast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oakley, Gerard J; Tubbs, Raymond R; Crowe, Joseph; Sebek, Bruce; Budd, G Thomas; Patrick, Rebecca J; Procop, Gary W

    2006-07-01

    The prognostic and therapeutic implications of HER-2 gene amplification and estrogen and progesterone receptor status in breast cancer are well described. To address the relative paucity of information concerning HER-2 amplification for tubular carcinomas, we assessed the frequency of gene amplification in 55 tubular carcinomas of the breast from 54 patients, 5 of which had axillary node metastases. The HER-2 gene copy number was assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization for the majority of tumors analyzed, whereas estrogen and progesterone receptor status was achieved by immunohistochemical analysis. HER-2 gene amplification was not observed in any of the tumors examined, and most were estrogen receptor-positive. This HER-2 gene amplification frequency was significantly lower than the frequency of gene amplification previously reported for all invasive ductal carcinoma of no special type (P < .01). HER-2 gene amplification likely occurs infrequently, or not at all, in tubular carcinomas of the breast, whereas most express estrogen receptors.

  19. Asymptomatic Changes in Cardiac Function Can Occur in DCIS Patients Following Treatment with HER-2/neu Pulsed Dendritic Cell Vaccines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahl, Susan; Roses, Robert; Sharma, Anupama; Koldovsky, Ursula; Xu, Shuwen; Weinstein, Susan; Nisenbaum, Harvey; Fox, Kevin; Pasha, Theresa; Zhang, Paul; Araujo, Louis; Carver, Joseph; Czerniecki, Brian J

    2009-01-01

    Background Targeting HER-2/neu with Trastuzumab has been associated with development of cardiac toxicity. Methods Twenty-seven patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast completed an IRB approved clinical trial of a HER-2/neu targeted dendritic cell based vaccine. Four weekly vaccinations were administered prior to surgical resection. All subjects underwent pre- and post-vaccine cardiac monitoring by MUGA/ECHO scanning allowing for a comparison of cardiac function. Results In 3 of 27 vaccinated patients (11%) transient asymptomatic decrements in ejection fraction of greater than 15% were noted after vaccination. Notably, evidence of circulating anti-HER-2/neu antibody was found prior to vaccination in all three patients, but cardiac toxicity was not noted until induction of cellular mediated immune responses. Conclusions This is the first description of HER-2/neu targeted vaccination associated with an incidence of cardiac changes, and the induction of cellular immune responses combined with antibody may contribute to changes in cardiac function. PMID:19800453

  20. Tumoral expression on Her-2, E R and P R and its Clinico pathological characteristics relation in Uruguayan and Argentine patients with operable breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delgado, L; Richardet, E; Pallotta, G; Fresco, R; Aguiar, S; Camejo, N; Gonzalez, V; Ferrero, L; Heinzen, S; Martinez, A. and others

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: the study of biological subtype of breast cancer (B C) given by the expression tumor estrogen receptors (E R), progesterone (P R) and growth factor receptor and evolutionary. Objective: To know the profile of tumor expression of HER2, ER and P R and their relation with to characteristics clinico pathological characteristics in Uruguayan and Argentine patients with breast cancer. Material and Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent analyzed C M I-III invasive stages between 03/2006 and 03/2008 and assisted in Oncology Services where the authors are performing, which had selected determination ER, P R and HER2 by immunohistochemistry. The expression profile of these was markers compared with age at diagnosis, type and histological grade (GH) and pathological stage (TNM). Results: 291 patients (197 Uruguayan and 94 Argentine) were included whose characteristics were: mean age: 56 years, ductal carcinoma: 85%, GH 1-2: 55% stage I-II: 70%, metastasis axillary: 51%, ER / P R +: 78% HER2 + 12%. Three subtypes were defined: HER2 ER / P R + (71%), HER2 + (12% Uruguayan patients: 10%, Argentine patients: 17%) and negative Triple (TN) (17%). The joint analysis of the patients in both countries showed that subtypes TN and HER2 is associated with greater histological grade (p <0.05). Furthermore, in the group of patients Uruguayan, TN subtype was associated with younger age at diagnosis (p <0.05) subtype HER2, ER / PR +. Conclusions: The percentage of patients with CM Uruguayan invasive HER2 + subtype (10%) is smaller than that reported by other studies (17-28%) and that observed in our study Argentine group of patients. Consistent with previous studies, TN subtypes and HER2 + correlated with more undifferentiated tumors and in the group of Uruguayan patients TN appeared in younger patients

  1. Survival analysis according to the receiver tumoral expression profile of the epidermal growth factor - 2 (HER2), the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (RP) in Uruguayan patients with breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Camejo, N.; Gonzalez, V.; Ferrero, L.; Castillo, C.; Delgado, L.; Fresco, R.; Santander, G.; Aguiar, S.; Heinzen, S.; Martinez, A.; Maurizt, S.; Meyer, C.; Sena, G.; Spera, G.; Ubillos, L.; Xavier, F.; Deneo, H.; Aghazarian, M.; Rodriguez, R.; Sabini, G.

    2010-01-01

    Breast cancer (CM), the leading cause of death from cancer in Uruguayan women, is a heterogeneous disease. The study of the expression level of tumor hormone receptor (H R) and Her-2 neu can recognize subtypes with different characteristics. We have previously reported the relationship of these with the clinico pathological features. To analyze the PFS (SVLP) as the biological subtype (patients HR + / HER2 - triple negative (TN) and HER2 +) in Uruguayan patients with breast cancer EI-IIII Methodology: A retrospective study where SVLP 169 cancer patients carrying analyzed breast E I-III, diagnosed between March 2006 and March 2008 from the Clinical Hospital, Military Hospital, INCA and CASMU. SVLP analysis was performed according to different biological subtypes using the Kaplan method Meier and statistical significance of differences was assessed by the log-rank test. Results: The median follow-up was 43 months. At the time of analysis 160 patients (94.7%) are alive and 141 (83.4%) are relapse-free. One hundred twenty-three patients were HR + / HER2 - (72.7%), 32 patients were TN (18.9%) and 14 were HER2 + patients (8.2%). The SVLP to two years for the total of patients was 92.3%, 94% for HR + / HER2 - 91% for TN and 71.4% for HER2 +. Comparing the curves for different subtypes SVLP showed lower for SVLP He r2 + patients compared to patients HR + / HER2 - (p = 0.03) and TN (p 0.11). The median survival was not reached globally or in the subgroup analysis. Conclusions: He r2 + patients have a shorter time to relapse which coincides as reported in the literature. SVLP similar to 2 years and overlapping of curves SVLP Patients HR + / HER2 - and TN not be explained by differences in characteristics clinico pathological

  2. A Potent HER3 Monoclonal Antibody That Blocks Both Ligand-Dependent and -Independent Activities: Differential Impacts of PTEN Status on Tumor Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Zhan; Carrasco, Rosa A; Schifferli, Kevin; Kinneer, Krista; Tammali, Ravinder; Chen, Hong; Rothstein, Ray; Wetzel, Leslie; Yang, Chunning; Chowdhury, Partha; Tsui, Ping; Steiner, Philipp; Jallal, Bahija; Herbst, Ronald; Hollingsworth, Robert E; Tice, David A

    2016-04-01

    HER3/ERBB3 is a kinase-deficient member of the EGFR family receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) that is broadly expressed and activated in human cancers. HER3 is a compelling cancer target due to its important role in activation of the oncogenic PI3K/AKT pathway. It has also been demonstrated to confer tumor resistance to a variety of cancer therapies, especially targeted drugs against EGFR and HER2. HER3 can be activated by its ligand (heregulin/HRG), which induces HER3 heterodimerization with EGFR, HER2, or other RTKs. Alternatively, HER3 can be activated in a ligand-independent manner through heterodimerization with HER2 in HER2-amplified cells. We developed a fully human mAb against HER3 (KTN3379) that efficiently suppressed HER3 activity in both ligand-dependent and independent settings. Correspondingly, KTN3379 inhibited tumor growth in divergent tumor models driven by either ligand-dependent or independent mechanisms in vitro and in vivo Most intriguingly, while investigating the mechanistic underpinnings of tumor response to KTN3379, we discovered an interesting dichotomy in that PTEN loss, a frequently occurring oncogenic lesion in a broad range of cancer types, substantially blunted the tumor response in HER2-amplified cancer, but not in the ligand-driven cancer. To our knowledge, this represents the first study ascertaining the impact of PTEN loss on the antitumor efficacy of a HER3 mAb. KTN3379 is currently undergoing a phase Ib clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. Our current study may help us optimize patient selection schemes for KTN3379 to maximize its clinical benefits. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(4); 689-701. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  3. Serum HER-2 predicts response and resistance to trastuzumab treatment in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Eva Rabing Brix; Sørensen, Patricia Diana; Jakobsen, Erik Hugger

    2013-01-01

    Serum HER2 (S-HER2) was approved in 2003 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for monitoring trastuzumab treatment in tissue HER2 positive breast cancer patients. Information of the value of S-HER2 is scarce. We hypothesised that S-HER2 would reflect the clinical effect of trastuzumab....

  4. Effective and persistent antitumor activity of HER2-directed CAR-T cells against gastric cancer cells in vitro and xenotransplanted tumors in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yanjing; Tong, Chuan; Wang, Yao; Gao, Yunhe; Dai, Hanren; Guo, Yelei; Zhao, Xudong; Wang, Yi; Wang, Zizheng; Han, Weidong; Chen, Lin

    2017-03-10

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) proteins are overexpressed in a high proportion of gastric cancer (GC) cases and affect the maintenance of cancer stem cell (CSC) subpopulations, which are used as targets for the clinical treatment of patients with HER2-positive GC. Despite improvements in survival, numerous HER2-positive patients fail treatment with trastuzumab, highlighting the need for more effective therapies. In this study, we generated a novel type of genetically modified human T cells, expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), and targeting the GC cell antigen HER2, which harbors the CD137 and CD3ζ moieties. Our findings show that the expanded CAR-T cells, expressing an increased central memory phenotype, were activated by the specific recognition of HER2 antigens in an MHC-independent manner, and effectively killed patient-derived HER2-positive GC cells. In HER2-positive xenograft tumors, CAR-T cells exhibited considerably enhanced tumor inhibition ability, long-term survival, and homing to targets, compared with those of non-transduced T cells. The sphere-forming ability and in vivo tumorigenicity of patient-derived gastric cancer stem-like cells, expressing HER2 and the CD44 protein, were also inhibited. Our results support the future development and clinical application of this adoptive immunotherapy in patients with HER2-positive advanced GC.

  5. A phase two randomised trial of neratinib monotherapy versus lapatinib plus capecitabine combination therapy in patients with HER2+ advanced breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Miguel; Bonneterre, Jacques; Geyer, Charles E; Ito, Yoshinori; Ro, Jungsil; Lang, Istvan; Kim, Sung-Bae; Germa, Caroline; Vermette, Jennifer; Wang, Kenneth; Wang, Kongming; Awada, Ahmad

    2013-12-01

    The safety and efficacy of neratinib monotherapy were compared with that of lapatinib plus capecitabine in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive (HER2+), locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer and prior trastuzumab treatment. Patients received neratinib 240 mg/d continuously (n=117) or lapatinib 1250 mg/d continuously plus capecitabine 2000 mg/m(2) per day on days 1-14 of each 21-d cycle (n=116). The primary aim was to demonstrate non-inferiority of neratinib for progression-free survival (PFS). The non-inferiority of neratinib was not demonstrated when compared with lapatinib plus capecitabine (hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.60; non-inferiority margin, 1.15). Median PFS for neratinib was 4.5 months versus 6.8 months for lapatinib plus capecitabine and median overall survival was 19.7 months versus 23.6 months. Objective response rate (neratinib, 29% versus lapatinib plus capecitabine, 41%; P=0.067) and clinical benefit rate (44% versus 64%; P=0.003) were lower for the neratinib arm but consistent with previously reported results. In both treatment arms, diarrhoea was the most frequently reported treatment-related adverse event of any grade (neratinib, 85% versus lapatinib plus capecitabine, 68%; P=0.002) and of grade 3/4 (28% versus 10%; P<0.001), but was typically managed with concomitant anti-diarrhoeal medication and/or study treatment modification. Importantly, neratinib had no significant skin toxicity. The results are considered as inconclusive since neither inferiority nor non-inferiority of treatment with neratinib versus lapatinib plus capecitabine could be demonstrated. The study confirmed relevant single-agent clinical activity and acceptable overall tolerability of neratinib in patients with recurrent HER2+ advanced breast cancer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Studies of the HER-2/neu proto-oncogene in human breast and ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slamon, D J; Godolphin, W; Jones, L A; Holt, J A; Wong, S G; Keith, D E; Levin, W J; Stuart, S G; Udove, J; Ullrich, A

    1989-05-12

    Carcinoma of the breast and ovary account for one-third of all cancers occurring in women and together are responsible for approximately one-quarter of cancer-related deaths in females. The HER-2/neu proto-oncogene is amplified in 25 to 30 percent of human primary breast cancers and this alteration is associated with disease behavior. In this report, several similarities were found in the biology of HER-2/neu in breast and ovarian cancer, including a similar incidence of amplification, a direct correlation between amplification and over-expression, evidence of tumors in which overexpression occurs without amplification, and the association between gene alteration and clinical outcome. A comprehensive study of the gene and its products (RNA and protein) was simultaneously performed on a large number of both tumor types. This analysis identified several potential shortcomings of the various methods used to evaluate HER-2/neu in these diseases (Southern, Northern, and Western blots, and immunohistochemistry) and provided information regarding considerations that should be addressed when studying a gene or gene product in human tissue. The data presented further support the concept that the HER-2/neu gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of some human cancers.

  7. Emerging treatments for HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer: focus on neratinib

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kourie HR

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Hampig Raphael Kourie,1 Elie El Rassy,1 Florian Clatot,2,3 Evandro de Azambuja,4 Matteo Lambertini3,4 1Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon; 2Department of Medical Oncology and IRON/U1245, Centre Henri Becquerel, Rouen, France; 3Breast Cancer Translational Research Laboratory, 4Department of Medicine, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium Abstract: Over the last decades, a better understanding of breast cancer heterogeneity provided tools for a biologically based personalization of anticancer treatments. In particular, the overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 by tumor cells provided a specific target in these HER2-positive tumors. The development of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, and its approval in 1998 for the treatment of patients with metastatic disease, radically changed the natural history of this aggressive subtype of breast cancer. These findings provided strong support for the continuous research in targeting the HER2 pathway and implementing the development of new anti-HER2 targeted agents. Besides trastuzumab, a series of other anti-HER2 agents have been developed and are currently being explored for the treatment of breast cancer patients, including those diagnosed with early-stage disease. Among these agents, neratinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that irreversibly inhibits HER1, HER2, and HER4 at the intracellular level, has shown promising results, including when administered to patients previously exposed to trastuzumab-based treatment. This article aims to review the available data on the role of the HER2 pathway in breast cancer and on the different targeted agents that have been studied or are currently under development for the treatment of patients with early-stage HER2-positive disease with a particular focus on neratinib. Keywords: breast cancer, HER2-positive, neratinib, early-stage, targeted

  8. HER2-targeted therapy in breast cancer. Monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dorte Lisbet; Andersson, Michael; Kamby, Claus

    2008-01-01

    There is strong clinical evidence that trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) two tyrosine kinase receptor, is an important component of first-line treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. In particular the combination...... of trastuzumab to chemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival. The use of lapatinib, a dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor of both HER1 and HER2, in combination with capecitabine in the second-line treatment of HER2-positive patients with metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab has...

  9. The effects of short-term fasting on tolerance to (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative breast cancer patients: a randomized pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groot, Stefanie de; Vreeswijk, Maaike PG; Welters, Marij JP; Gravesteijn, Gido; Boei, Jan JWA; Jochems, Anouk; Houtsma, Daniel; Putter, Hein; Hoeven, Jacobus JM van der; Nortier, Johan WR; Pijl, Hanno; Kroep, Judith R

    2015-01-01

    Preclinical evidence shows that short-term fasting (STF) protects healthy cells against side effects of chemotherapy and makes cancer cells more vulnerable to it. This pilot study examines the feasibility of STF and its effects on tolerance of chemotherapy in a homogeneous patient group with early breast cancer (BC). Eligible patients had HER2-negative, stage II/III BC. Women receiving (neo)-adjuvant TAC (docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide) were randomized to fast 24 h before and after commencing chemotherapy, or to eat according to the guidelines for healthy nutrition. Toxicity in the two groups was compared. Chemotherapy-induced DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was quantified by the level of γ-H2AX analyzed by flow cytometry. Thirteen patients were included of whom seven were randomized to the STF arm. STF was well tolerated. Mean erythrocyte- and thrombocyte counts 7 days post-chemotherapy were significantly higher (P = 0.007, 95 % CI 0.106-0.638 and P = 0.00007, 95 % CI 38.7-104, respectively) in the STF group compared to the non-STF group. Non-hematological toxicity did not differ between the groups. Levels of γ-H2AX were significantly increased 30 min post-chemotherapy in CD45 + CD3- cells in non-STF, but not in STF patients. STF during chemotherapy was well tolerated and reduced hematological toxicity of TAC in HER2-negative BC patients. Moreover, STF may reduce a transient increase in, and/or induce a faster recovery of DNA damage in PBMCs after chemotherapy. Larger studies, investigating a longer fasting period, are required to generate more insight into the possible benefits of STF during chemotherapy. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01304251, March 2011

  10. The effects of short-term fasting on tolerance to (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative breast cancer patients: a randomized pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Groot, Stefanie; Vreeswijk, Maaike P G; Welters, Marij J P; Gravesteijn, Gido; Boei, Jan J W A; Jochems, Anouk; Houtsma, Daniel; Putter, Hein; van der Hoeven, Jacobus J M; Nortier, Johan W R; Pijl, Hanno; Kroep, Judith R

    2015-10-05

    Preclinical evidence shows that short-term fasting (STF) protects healthy cells against side effects of chemotherapy and makes cancer cells more vulnerable to it. This pilot study examines the feasibility of STF and its effects on tolerance of chemotherapy in a homogeneous patient group with early breast cancer (BC). Eligible patients had HER2-negative, stage II/III BC. Women receiving (neo)-adjuvant TAC (docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide) were randomized to fast 24 h before and after commencing chemotherapy, or to eat according to the guidelines for healthy nutrition. Toxicity in the two groups was compared. Chemotherapy-induced DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was quantified by the level of γ-H2AX analyzed by flow cytometry. Thirteen patients were included of whom seven were randomized to the STF arm. STF was well tolerated. Mean erythrocyte- and thrombocyte counts 7 days post-chemotherapy were significantly higher (P = 0.007, 95 % CI 0.106-0.638 and P = 0.00007, 95 % CI 38.7-104, respectively) in the STF group compared to the non-STF group. Non-hematological toxicity did not differ between the groups. Levels of γ-H2AX were significantly increased 30 min post-chemotherapy in CD45 + CD3- cells in non-STF, but not in STF patients. STF during chemotherapy was well tolerated and reduced hematological toxicity of TAC in HER2-negative BC patients. Moreover, STF may reduce a transient increase in, and/or induce a faster recovery of DNA damage in PBMCs after chemotherapy. Larger studies, investigating a longer fasting period, are required to generate more insight into the possible benefits of STF during chemotherapy. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01304251 , March 2011.

  11. {sup 186}Re-maSGS-Z{sub HER2:342}, a potential affibody conjugate for systemic therapy of HER2-expressing tumours

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Orlova, Anna; Tran, Thuy A. [Uppsala University, Division of Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden); Ekblad, Torun; Karlstroem, Amelie Eriksson [Royal Institute of Technology, School of Biotechnology, Division of Molecular Biotechnology, Stockholm (Sweden); Tolmachev, Vladimir [Uppsala University, Division of Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden); Uppsala University, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2010-02-15

    Affibody molecules are a novel class of tumour-targeting proteins, which combine small size (7 kDa) and picomolar affinities. The Affibody molecule Z{sub HER2:342} has been suggested for imaging of HER2 expression in order to select patients for trastuzumab therapy. When optimizing chelators for {sup 99m}Tc-labelling, we have found that synthetic Z{sub HER2:342} conjugated with mercaptoacetyl-glycyl-glycyl-glycyl (maGGG) and mercaptoacetyl-glycyl-seryl-glycyl (maGSG) chelators provides relatively low renal uptake of radioactivity and could be suitable for therapy. maGGG-Z{sub HER2:342} and maGSG-Z{sub HER2:342} were labelled with {sup 186}Re and their biodistribution was studied in normal mice. Dosimetric evaluation and tumour targeting to HER2-overexpressed xenografts (SKOV-3) by {sup 186}Re-maGSG-Z{sub HER2:342} were studied. Gluconate-mediated labelling of maGGG-Z{sub HER2:342} and maGSG-Z{sub HER2:342} with {sup 186}Re provided a yield of more than 95% within 60 min. The conjugates were stable and demonstrated specific binding to HER2-expressing SKOV-3 cells. Biodistribution in normal mice demonstrated rapid blood clearance, low accumulation of radioactivity in the kidney and other organs, accumulating free perrhenate. Both {sup 186}Re-maGGG-Z{sub HER2:342} and {sup 186}Re-maGSG-Z{sub HER2:342} demonstrated lower renal uptake than their {sup 99m}Tc-labelled counterparts. {sup 186}Re-maGSG-Z{sub HER2:342} provided the lowest uptake in healthy tissues. Biodistribution of {sup 186}Re-maGSG-Z{sub HER2:342} in nude mice bearing SKOV-3 xenografts showed specific targeting of tumours. Tumour uptake 24 h after injection (5.84{+-}0.54%ID/g) exceeded the concentration in blood by more than 500-fold, and uptake in kidneys by about 8-fold. Preliminary dosimetric evaluation showed that dose-to-tumour should exceed dose-to-kidney by approximately 5-fold. Optimization of chelators improves biodistribution properties of rhenium-labelled small scaffold proteins and enables

  12. Comparison of central HER2 testing with quantitative total HER2 expression and HER2 homodimer measurements using a novel proximity-based assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Weidong; Reinholz, Monica; Weidler, Jodi; Yolanda, Lie; Paquet, Agnes; Whitcomb, Jeannette; Lingle, Wilma; Jenkins, Robert B; Chen, Beiyun; Larson, Jeffrey S; Tan, Yuping; Sherwood, Thomas; Bates, Michael; Perez, Edith A

    2010-08-01

    The accuracy and reliability of immunohistochemical analysis and in situ hybridization for the assessment of HER2 status remains a subject of debate. We developed a novel assay (HERmark Breast Cancer Assay, Monogram Biosciences, South San Francisco, CA) that provides precise quantification of total HER2 protein expression (H2T) and HER2 homodimers (H2D) in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. H2T and H2D results of 237 breast cancers were compared with those of immunohistochemical studies and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) centrally performed at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. H2T described a continuum across a wide dynamic range ( approximately 2.5 log). Excluding the equivocal cases, HERmark showed 98% concordance with immunohistochemical studies for positive and negative assay values. For the 94 immunohistochemically equivocal cases, 67% and 39% concordance values were observed between HERmark and FISH for positive and negative assay values, respectively. Polysomy 17 in the absence of HER2 gene amplification did not result in HER2 overexpression as evaluated quantitatively using the HERmark assay.

  13. Evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in normal and breast tumor tissues and their link with breast cancer prognostic factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furrer, Daniela; Lemieux, Julie; Côté, Marc-André; Provencher, Louise; Laflamme, Christian; Barabé, Frédéric; Jacob, Simon; Michaud, Annick; Diorio, Caroline

    2016-12-01

    Amplification of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene is associated with worse prognosis and decreased overall survival in breast cancer patients. The HER2 gene contains several polymorphisms; two of the best-characterized HER2 polymorphisms are Ile655Val and Ala1170Pro. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between these two HER2 polymorphisms in normal breast and breast cancer tissues and known breast cancer prognostic factors in a retrospective cohort study of 73 women with non-metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2 polymorphisms were assessed in breast cancer tissue and normal breast tissue using TaqMan assay. Ala1170Pro polymorphism in normal breast tissue was associated with age at diagnosis (p = 0.007), tumor size (p = 0.004) and lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.06). Similar significant associations in cancer tissues were observed. No association between the Ile655Val polymorphism and prognostic factors were observed. However, we found significant differences in the distribution of Ile655Val (p = 0.03) and Ala1170Pro (p = 0.01) genotypes between normal breast and breast tumor tissues. This study demonstrates that only the Ala1170Pro polymorphism is associated with prognostic factors in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. Moreover, our results suggest that both HER2 polymorphisms could play a significant role in carcinogenesis in non-metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Determination of HER2 phosphorylation at tyrosine 1221/1222 improves prediction of poor survival for breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frogne, Thomas; Laenkholm, Anne-Vibeke; Lyng, Maria B

    2009-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: High expression of total HER2 protein confers poor prognosis for breast cancer patients. HER2 is a member of the HER family consisting of four receptors, HER1 to HER4. HER receptor activity is regulated by a variety of mechanisms, and phosphorylation of the C-terminal part of the HER...... metastases, by evaluating the expression of phosphorylated HER1, HER2, HER3, Erk, Akt and the total level of HER4 and HER2. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 268 primary breast tumors and 30 paired metastatic lesions from postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast tumors...... of Akt and Erk were quite uniformly expressed in the categories; negative, moderate or strong. In univariate analysis, expression of total HER2, pHER1, pHER2 and pHER3 was significantly associated with poor disease-free survival. Strong HER4 expression was associated with prolonged disease-free as well...

  15. HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer: new possibilities for therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. V. Artamonova

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is devoted to modern approaches in HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer therapy. Recently treatment algorithm for this type of cancer included trastuzumab plus cytostatic in first line, continuation of trastuzumab with another chemotherapy regimen in second line, further switch to lapatinib and eventual return to trastuzumab after progression. Nowadays our options are broader owing to new anti-HER-2 agents which are pertruzumab and T-DM1. Now the most effective therapy regimen in first line is double HER-2 blockade (trastuzumab + pertuzumab in combination with docetaxel. Benefit of new agent T-DM1 versus combination of lapatinib and capecitabin is proved in patients progressed on trastuzumab and taxanes. T-DM1 also showed high efficacy as salvage therapy in intensively pretreated patients with meta- static HER-2-positive breast cancer who progressed on taxanes, trastuzumab and lapatinib.

  16. Adjuvant Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab in Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    von Minckwitz, Gunter; Procter, Marion; de Azambuja, Evandro

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Pertuzumab increases the rate of pathological complete response in the preoperative context and increases overall survival among patients with metastatic disease when it is added to trastuzumab and chemotherapy for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2......)-positive breast cancer. In this trial, we investigated whether pertuzumab, when added to adjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy, improves outcomes among patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with node-positive or high-risk node-negative HER2-positive......, operable breast cancer to receive either pertuzumab or placebo added to standard adjuvant chemotherapy plus 1 year of treatment with trastuzumab. We assumed a 3-year invasive-disease-free survival rate of 91.8% with pertuzumab and 89.2% with placebo. RESULTS: In the trial population, 63% of the patients...

  17. Serum HER-2 concentrations for monitoring women with breast cancer in a routine oncology setting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Patricia Diana; Jakobsen, Erik Hugger; Langkjer, Sven Tyge

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of positive serum human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) for monitoring women with breast cancer following diagnosis and treatment in a routine clinical setting. METHODS: Serum HER-2 was measured...... could be determined in ten tissue-positive patients was 3-24 months (mean 11.3 months), when compared to standard clinical imaging methods. CONCLUSIONS: Serum HER-2 is a useful marker for the detection of recurrence of breast cancer and for monitoring the effect of treatment, especially in tissue HER-2...... in 1348 patients with breast cancer: 837 during routine oncology clinic visits and 511 following new diagnosis. All patients with positive serum HER-2, 1/5 of negative patients from the oncology clinic, and all the newly diagnosed were followed; a total of 862 patients. Serum HER-2 was measured using...

  18. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunoreactivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Anne-Sofie Schrohl; Pedersen, Hans Christian; Jensen, Sussie Steen

    2011-01-01

    The availability of specific antibody-based test systems is essential to testing of HER2 protein expression. Here, we mapped epitopes recognized by three pharmacodiagnostic HER2 antibodies and investigated their specificity towards peptides and fusion proteins homologous to the intracellular doma...... domains of HER1, HER2, HER3 and HER4. The investigated antibodies were PATHWAY(®) HER2 (clone 4B5; Ventana Medical Systems Inc., Tucson, AZ, USA), HercepTest™ (Dako Denmark A/S, Glostrup, Denmark), and Oracle(®) HER2 (clone CB11; Leica Microsystems GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany)....

  19. The extracellular domain of Her2 in serum as a biomarker of breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrier, Alexandre; Gligorov, Joseph; Lefèvre, Guillaume; Boissan, Mathieu

    2018-02-28

    Breast cancer is a major health problem worldwide. In ~15% of breast cancers, the epidermal growth factor receptor HER2, a transmembrane protein, is overexpressed. This HER2 overexpression is associated with an aggressive form of the disease and a poor clinical prognosis. The extracellular domain (ECD) of HER2 is released into the blood by a proteolytic mechanism known as "ECD shedding". This proteolytic shedding leaves a constitutively active truncated receptor in the membrane that is 10-100-fold more oncogenic than the full-length receptor and promotes the growth and survival of cancer cells. Shedding of the HER2 ECD is increased during metastasis: whereas 15% of primary breast cancer patients have elevated levels of serum HER2 ECD (sHER2 ECD), the levels reach 45% in patients with metastatic disease. Thus, sHER2 ECD has been proposed as a promising biomarker for cancer recurrence and for monitoring the disease status of patients overexpressing HER2. Nevertheless, in 2016, the American Society of Clinical Oncology advises clinicians not to use soluble HER2 levels to guide their choice of adjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, because the evidence was considered not strong enough. Currently, biomarkers such as carcinoembryonic antigen and cancer antigen 15-3 are widely used to monitor metastatic breast cancer disease even if the level of evidence of clinical impact of this monitoring is poor. In this article, we review the evidence that sHER2 ECD might be used in some situations as a biomarker for breast cancer. Although this serum biomarker will not replace the direct measurement of tumor HER2 status for diagnosis of early-stage tumors; it might be especially useful in metastatic disease for prognosis, as an indicator of cancer progression and of therapy response, particularly to anti-HER2 therapies. Owing to these data, sHER2 ECD should be considered as a promising biomarker to detect cancer recurrence and metastasis.

  20. Isolation of scFv antibody fragments against HER2 and CEA tumor antigens from combinatorial antibody libraries derived from cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayat, Hoda; Burrone, Oscar R; Sadghizadeh, Majid; Jahanzad, Eissa; Rastgou, Nasrin; Moghadasi, Sarrira; Arbabi, Mehdi

    2013-11-01

    Tumor cells expressing HER-2/neu and CEA antigens are potentially ideal targets for antibody-targeted therapy. In this study, two large human combinatorial libraries have been generated from the lymph nodes of breast cancer patients that express HER2 and CEA antigens in their tumors. These 'immune' libraries have been constructed in two different formats of scFv, differing in the length of the peptide linker connecting the two variable VH and VL domains. Libraries derived from these patients may contain a larger pool of anti-tumor antigen antibodies and are useful repertoire for isolating scFvs against any tumor markers. The results of this study showed that we were successful in obtaining human scFvs against HER-2/neu and CEA. For HER-2, cell-panning strategy was performed and resulted in two scFv binders that detected the complete HER-2 receptor on the cell membrane and internalized to the cells. Also, preliminary ELISA data showed that several anti-CEA scFv binders were isolated by panning. Copyright © 2013 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. All rights reserved.

  1. Novel HER2 Aptamer Selectively Delivers Cytotoxic Drug to HER2-positive Breast Cancer Cells in Vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Zhe

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Aptamer-based tumor targeted drug delivery system is a promising approach that may increase the efficacy of chemotherapy and reduce the related toxicity. HER2 protein is an attractive target for tumor-specific drug delivery because of its overexpression in multiple malignancies, including breast, gastric, ovarian, and lung cancers. Methods In this paper, we developed a new HER2 aptamer (HB5 by using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment technology (SELEX and exploited its role as a targeting ligand for delivering doxorubicin (Dox to breast cancer cells in vitro. Results The selected aptamer was an 86-nucleotide DNA molecule that bound to an epitope peptide of HER2 with a Kd of 18.9 nM. The aptamer also bound to the extracellular domain (ECD of HER2 protein with a Kdof 316 nM, and had minimal cross reactivity to albumin or trypsin. In addition, the aptamer was found to preferentially bind to HER2-positive but not HER2-negative breast cancer cells. An aptamer-doxorubicin complex (Apt-Dox was formulated by intercalating Dox into the DNA structure of HB5. The Apt-Dox complex could selectively deliver Dox to HER2-positive breast cancer cells while reducing the drug intake by HER2-negative cells in vitro. Moreover, Apt-Dox retained the cytotoxicity of Dox against HER2-positive breast cancer cells, but reduced the cytotoxicity to HER2-negative cells. Conclusions The results suggest that the selected HER2 aptamer may have application potentials in targeted therapy against HER2-positive breast cancer cells.

  2. Prospective Biomarker Analysis of the Randomized CHER-LOB Study Evaluating the Dual Anti-HER2 Treatment With Trastuzumab and Lapatinib Plus Chemotherapy as Neoadjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guarneri, Valentina; Dieci, Maria Vittoria; Frassoldati, Antonio; Maiorana, Antonino; Ficarra, Guido; Bettelli, Stefania; Tagliafico, Enrico; Bicciato, Silvio; Generali, Daniele Giulio; Cagossi, Katia; Bisagni, Giancarlo; Sarti, Samanta; Musolino, Antonino; Ellis, Catherine; Crescenzo, Rocco; Conte, PierFranco

    2015-09-01

    The CHER-LOB randomized phase II study showed that the combination of lapatinib and trastuzumab plus chemotherapy increases the pathologic complete remission (pCR) rate compared with chemotherapy plus either trastuzumab or lapatinib. A biomarker program was prospectively planned to identify potential predictors of sensitivity to different treatments and to evaluate treatment effect on tumor biomarkers. Overall, 121 breast cancer patients positive for human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) were randomly assigned to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab, lapatinib, or both trastuzumab and lapatinib. Pre- and post-treatment samples were centrally evaluated for HER2, p95-HER2, phosphorylated AKT (pAKT), phosphatase and tensin homolog, Ki67, apoptosis, and PIK3CA mutations. Fresh-frozen tissue samples were collected for genomic analyses. A mutation in PIK3CA exon 20 or 9 was documented in 20% of cases. Overall, the pCR rates were similar in PIK3CA wild-type and PIK3CA-mutated patients (33.3% vs. 22.7%; p = .323). For patients receiving trastuzumab plus lapatinib, the probability of pCR was higher in PIK3CA wild-type tumors (48.4% vs. 12.5%; p = .06). Ki67, pAKT, and apoptosis measured on the residual disease were significantly reduced from baseline. The degree of Ki67 inhibition was significantly higher in patients receiving the dual anti-HER2 blockade. The integrated analysis of gene expression and copy number data demonstrated that a 50-gene signature specifically predicted the lapatinib-induced pCR. PIK3CA mutations seem to identify patients who are less likely to benefit from dual anti-HER2 inhibition. p95-HER2 and markers of phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway deregulation are not confirmed as markers of different sensitivity to trastuzumab or lapatinib. HER2 is currently the only validated marker to select breast cancer patients for anti-HER2 treatment; however, it is becoming evident that HER2-positive breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. In addition, more

  3. Use and duration of chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer according to tumor subtype and line of therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seah, Davinia S E; Luis, Ines Vaz; Macrae, Erin; Sohl, Jessica; Litsas, Georgia; Winer, Eric P; Lin, Nancy U; Burstein, Harold J

    2014-01-01

    Benefits of chemotherapy vary in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This article describes the impact of tumor subtype and the line of therapy on the duration of chemotherapy. Clinicopathologic characteristics were extracted from the medical records of 199 consecutive patients with MBC at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and analyzed according to subtype. Tumor subtypes were classified as hormone receptor (HR)-positive, triple-negative (TNBC), or HER2-amplified breast cancer. Duration of chemotherapy of each line was defined as the start of a chemotherapy regimen to the start of the next line of therapy as a result of progression or toxicity. There were 96, 44, and 59 patients with HR(+), TNBC, and HER2-amplified breast cancer, respectively. Median age at MBC diagnosis was 53 years. Median overall survivals were 32 and 54 months for HER2-amplified disease, 36 months for HR(+) breast cancer, and 17 months for TNBC (Pchemotherapy for every line. The median duration of chemotherapy in HER2-amplified patients remained at more than 4 months even out to sixth-line therapy. Patients with TNBC tended to receive the shortest duration of chemotherapy for every line of therapy. Tumor subtypes influence the number of lines, duration of chemotherapy, and survival. Among patients with HR(+) and HER2-amplified disease who undergo chemotherapy beyond the third line, substantial rates of prolonged therapies suggest clinical benefit. The role of advanced (greater than third) chemotherapy lines in improving survival of all patients with MBC warrants further study.

  4. The HER2-binding affibody molecule (Z(HER2∶342₂ increases radiosensitivity in SKBR-3 cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lina Ekerljung

    Full Text Available We have previously shown that the HER2-specific affibody molecule (Z(HER2∶342₂ inhibits proliferation of SKBR-3 cells. Here, we continue to investigate its biological effects in vitro by studying receptor dimerization and clonogenic survival following irradiation. We found that (Z(HER2∶342₂ sensitizes the HER2-overexpressing cell line SKBR-3 to ionizing radiation. The survival after exposure to (Z(HER2∶342₂ and 8 Gy (S(8Gy 0.006 was decreased by a factor four compared to the untreated (S(8Gy 0.023. The low HER2-expressing cell line MCF-7 was more radiosensitive than SKBR-3 but did not respond to (Z(HER2∶342₂. Treatment by (Z(HER2∶342₂ strongly increased the levels of dimerized and phosphorylated HER2 even after 5 minutes of stimulation. The monomeric Z(HER2∶342 does not seem to be able to induce receptor phosphorylation and dimerization or sensitize cells to irradiation.

  5. HER2 and β-catenin protein location: importance in the prognosis of breast cancer patients and their correlation when breast cancer cells suffer stressful situations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuello-Carrión, F Darío; Shortrede, Jorge E; Alvarez-Olmedo, Daiana; Cayado-Gutiérrez, Niubys; Castro, Gisela N; Zoppino, Felipe C M; Guerrero, Martín; Martinis, Estefania; Wuilloud, Rodolfo; Gómez, Nidia N; Biaggio, Verónica; Orozco, Javier; Gago, Francisco E; Ciocca, Leonardo A; Fanelli, Mariel A; Ciocca, Daniel R

    2015-02-01

    In human breast cancer, β-catenin localization has been related with disease prognosis. Since HER2-positive patients are an important subgroup, and that in breast cancer cells a direct interaction of β-catenin/HER2 has been reported, in the present study we have explored whether β-catenin location is related with the disease survival. The study was performed in a tumor bank from patients (n = 140) that did not receive specific anti-HER2 therapy. The proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry in serial sections, 47 (33.5%) patients were HER2-positive with a long follow-up. HER2-positive patients that displayed β-catenin at the plasma membrane (completely surrounding the tumour cells) showed a significant better disease-free survival and overall survival than the patients showing the protein on other locations. Then we explored the dynamics of the co-expression of β-catenin and HER2 in human MCF-7 and SKBR3 cells exposed to different stressful situations. In untreated conditions MCF-7 and SKBR3 cells showed very different β-catenin localization. In MCF-7 cells, cadmium administration caused a striking change in β-catenin localization driving it from plasma membrane to cytoplasmic and perinuclear areas and HER2 showed a similar localization patterns. The changes induced by cadmium were compared with heat shock, H2O2 and tamoxifen treatments. In conclusion, this study shows the dynamical associations of HER2 and β-catenin and their changes in subcellular localizations driven by stressful situations. In addition, we report for the first time the correlation between plasma membrane associated β-catenin in HER2-positive breast cancer and survival outcome, and the importance of the protein localization in breast cancer samples.

  6. Tumour 18 F-FDG Uptake on preoperative PET/CT may predict axillary lymph node metastasis in ER-positive/HER2-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer subtypes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jin You; Lee, Suck Hong; Kim, Suk [Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Department of Radiology, Seo-gu, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Taewoo [Pusan National University Hospital, Busan Cancer Center, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Young Tae [Pusan National University Hospital, Department of Surgery, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-04-01

    To evaluate the association between tumour FDG uptake on preoperative PET/CT and axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) according to breast cancer subtype. The records of 671 patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent {sup 18} F-FDG PET/CT and surgery were reviewed. Using immunohistochemistry, tumours were divided into three subtypes: oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, HER2-positive, and triple-negative. Tumour FDG uptake, expressed as maximum standardized uptake value (SUV{sub max}), and clinicopathological variables were analysed. ALNM was present in 187 of 461 ER-positive/HER2-negative, 54 of 97 HER2-positive, and 38 of 113 triple-negative tumours. On multivariate analysis, high tumour SUV{sub max} (≥4.25) (P < 0.001), large tumour size (>2 cm) (P = 0.003) and presence of lymphovascular invasion (P < 0.001) were independent variables associated with ALNM. On subset analyses, tumour SUV{sub max} maintained independent significance for predicting ALNM in ER-positive/HER2-negative (adjusted odds ratio: 3.277, P < 0.001) and HER2-positive tumours (adjusted odds ratio: 14.637, P = 0.004). No association was found for triple-negative tumours (P = 0.161). Tumour SUV{sub max} may be an independent prognostic factor for ALNM in patients with invasive breast cancer, especially in ER-positive/HER2-negative and HER2-positive subtypes, but not in those with triple-negative subtype. (orig.)

  7. Long term disease-free survival and T cell and antibody responses in women with high-risk Her2+ breast cancer following vaccination against Her2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anders Carey

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The HER2-inhibiting antibody trastuzumab, in combination with chemotherapy, significantly improves survival of women with resected, HER2-overexpressing breast cancers, but is associated with toxicities including a risk of cardiomyopathy. Additionally, the beneficial effect of trastuzumab is expected to decrease once the drug is discontinued. We proposed to address these concerns by using cancer vaccines to stimulate HER2 intracellular domain (ICD-specific T cell and antibody responses. Methods Subjects with stage II (≥ 6 +LN, III, or stage IV breast cancerwith > 50% HER2 overexpressing tumor cells who were disease-free after surgery and adjuvant therapy were eligible. Vaccines consisted of immature, cultured DC (n = 3, mature cultured DC (n = 3, or mature Flt3-ligand mobilized peripheral blood DC (n = 1 loaded with ICD, or tetanus toxoid, keyhole limpet hemocyanin or CMV peptide as controls, and were administered intradermally/subcutaneously four times at 3 week intervals. ICD-specific T cell and antibody responses were measured. Cardiac function was determined by MUGA or ECHO; long term disease status was obtained from patient contact. Results All seven patients successfully underwent DC generation and five received all 4 immunizations. There were no toxicities greater than grade 1 or ejection fraction decrements below normal. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH reactions at the injection site occurred in 6/7 patients and HER2 specificity was detected by cytokine flow cytometry or ELISPOT in 5 patients. At more than 5 years of follow-up, 6/7 had detectable anti-ICD antibodies. One patient experienced a pulmonary recurrence at 4 years from their study immunizations. This recurrence was resected and they are without evidence of disease. All patients are alive and disease-free at 4.6–6.7 years of follow-up. Conclusion Although this was a small pilot study, the well-tolerated nature of the vaccines, the lack of cardiac

  8. CPT-11/bevacizumab for the treatment of refractory brain metastases in patients with HER2-neu-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengupta, S; Rojas, R; Mahadevan, A; Kasper, E; Jeyapalan, S

    2015-04-01

    Nervous system relapse of patients with advanced HER2-neu-positive breast cancer is an increasing problem, with one-third of women developing brain metastases. Standard therapies using steroids, surgery and radiotherapy do not provide a lasting response. We evaluated CPT-11 and bevacizumab, which can both cross the blood-brain barrier, as combination therapy to treat HER2-neu-positive breast cancer with brain metastases.

  9. A Single Domain–Based Anti-Her2 Antibody Has Potent Antitumor Activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqiong Wu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 is overexpressed in approximately 20% to 30% of breast cancers and various other types of cancers, which plays a vital role in the cancer progression. Monoclonal antibodies targeting Her2 are now used in the clinic to treat Her2 overexpression cancer patients. However, relapse or resistance is frequent with the current therapies. To generate a new treatment avenue against Her2, we immunized and selected a specific anti-Her2 single domain antibody C3 for further studies. The C3-Fc antibody drove antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against Her2-positive tumor cells in vitro and resulted in potent antitumor growth in vivo. These data suggest that the C3-Fc antibody may provide an alternative avenue for Her2-positive cancer therapy.

  10. In vivo tracking of genetically engineered, anti-HER2/neu directed natural killer cells to HER2/neu positive mammary tumors with magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daldrup-Link, Heike E.; Meier, Reinhardt; Metz, Stephan; Settles, Marcus; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Rudelius, Martina; Piontek, Guido; Schlegel, Juergen; Piert, Morand; Uherek, Christoph; Wels, Winfried

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to optimize labeling of the human natural killer (NK) cell line NK-92 with iron-oxide-based contrast agents and to monitor the in vivo distribution of genetically engineered NK-92 cells, which are directed against HER2/neu receptors, to HER2/neu positive mammary tumors with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Parental NK-92 cells and genetically modified HER2/neu specific NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta cells, expressing a chimeric antigen receptor specific to the tumor-associated ErbB2 (HER2/neu) antigen, were labeled with ferumoxides and ferucarbotran using simple incubation, lipofection and electroporation techniques. Labeling efficiency was evaluated by MR imaging, Prussian blue stains and spectrometry. Subsequently, ferucarbotran-labeled NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta (n=3) or parental NK-92 cells were intravenously injected into the tail vein of six mice with HER2/neu-positive NIH 3T3 mammary tumors, implanted in the mammary fat pad. The accumulation of the cells in the tumors was monitored by MR imaging before and 12 and 24 h after cell injection (p.i.). MR data were correlated with histopathology. Both the parental NK-92 and the genetically modified NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta cells could be labeled with ferucarbotran and ferumoxides by lipofection and electroporation, but not by simple incubation. The intracellular cytoplasmatic iron-oxide uptake was significantly higher after labeling with ferucarbotran than ferumoxides (P 6 NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta cells into tumor-bearing mice, MR showed a progressive signal decline in HER2/neu-positive mammary tumors at 12 and 24 h (p.i.). Conversely, injection of 5 x 10 6 parental NK-92 control cells, not directed against HER2/neu receptors, did not cause significant signal intensity changes of the tumors. Histopathology confirmed an accumulation of the former, but not the latter cells in tumor tissue. The human natural killer cell line NK-92 can be efficiently labeled with clinically applicable iron-oxide contrast

  11. In vivo tracking of genetically engineered, anti-HER2/neu directed natural killer cells to HER2/neu positive mammary tumors with magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daldrup-Link, Heike E. [UCSF Medical Center, Department of Radiology, San Francisco, CA (United States); Meier, Reinhardt; Metz, Stephan; Settles, Marcus; Rummeny, Ernst J. [Technical University Munich, Department of Radiology, Munich (Germany); Rudelius, Martina; Piontek, Guido; Schlegel, Juergen [Technical University Munich, Institute of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, Munich (Germany); Piert, Morand [Technical University Munich, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Munich (Germany); Uherek, Christoph; Wels, Winfried [University of Frankfurt, Georg Speyer House, Frankfurt (Germany)

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to optimize labeling of the human natural killer (NK) cell line NK-92 with iron-oxide-based contrast agents and to monitor the in vivo distribution of genetically engineered NK-92 cells, which are directed against HER2/neu receptors, to HER2/neu positive mammary tumors with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Parental NK-92 cells and genetically modified HER2/neu specific NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta cells, expressing a chimeric antigen receptor specific to the tumor-associated ErbB2 (HER2/neu) antigen, were labeled with ferumoxides and ferucarbotran using simple incubation, lipofection and electroporation techniques. Labeling efficiency was evaluated by MR imaging, Prussian blue stains and spectrometry. Subsequently, ferucarbotran-labeled NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta (n=3) or parental NK-92 cells were intravenously injected into the tail vein of six mice with HER2/neu-positive NIH 3T3 mammary tumors, implanted in the mammary fat pad. The accumulation of the cells in the tumors was monitored by MR imaging before and 12 and 24 h after cell injection (p.i.). MR data were correlated with histopathology. Both the parental NK-92 and the genetically modified NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta cells could be labeled with ferucarbotran and ferumoxides by lipofection and electroporation, but not by simple incubation. The intracellular cytoplasmatic iron-oxide uptake was significantly higher after labeling with ferucarbotran than ferumoxides (P<0.05). After intravenous injection of 5 x 10{sup 6} NK-92-scFv(FRP5)-zeta cells into tumor-bearing mice, MR showed a progressive signal decline in HER2/neu-positive mammary tumors at 12 and 24 h (p.i.). Conversely, injection of 5 x 10{sup 6} parental NK-92 control cells, not directed against HER2/neu receptors, did not cause significant signal intensity changes of the tumors. Histopathology confirmed an accumulation of the former, but not the latter cells in tumor tissue. The human natural killer cell line NK-92 can be efficiently

  12. HER2 induced EMT and tumorigenicity in breast epithelial progenitor cells is inhibited by coexpression of EGFR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingthorsson, S; Andersen, K; Hilmarsdottir, B; Maelandsmo, G M; Magnusson, M K; Gudjonsson, T

    2016-08-11

    The members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase family are important players in breast morphogenesis and cancer. EGFR2/HER2 and EGFR expression have a prognostic value in certain subtypes of breast cancer such as HER2-amplified, basal-like and luminal type B. Many clinically approved small molecular inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies have been designed to target HER2, EGFR or both. There is, however, still limited knowledge on how the two receptors are expressed in normal breast epithelium, what effects they have on cellular differentiation and how they participate in neoplastic transformation. D492 is a breast epithelial cell line with stem cell properties that can undergo epithelial to mesenchyme transition (EMT), generate luminal- and myoepithelial cells and form complex branching structures in three-dimensional (3D) culture. Here, we show that overexpression of HER2 in D492 (D492(HER2)) resulted in EMT, loss of contact growth inhibition and increased oncogenic potential in vivo. HER2 overexpression, furthermore, inhibited endogenous EGFR expression. Re-introducing EGFR in D492(HER2) (D492(HER2/EGFR)) partially reversed the mesenchymal state of the cells, as an epithelial phenotype reappeared both in 3D cultures and in vivo. The D492(HER2/EGFR) xenografts grow slower than the D492(HER2) tumors, while overexpression of EGFR alone (D492(EGFR)) was not oncogenic in vivo. Consistent with the EGFR-mediated epithelial phenotype, overexpression of EGFR drove the cells toward a myoepithelial phenotype in 3D culture. The effect of two clinically approved anti-HER2 and EGFR therapies, trastuzumab and cetuximab, was tested alone and in combination on D492(HER2) xenografts. While trastuzumab had a growth inhibitory effect compared with untreated control, the effect of cetuximab was limited. When administered in combination, the growth inhibitory effect of trastuzumab was less pronounced. Collectively, our data indicate that in HER2-overexpressing D492

  13. Determination of HER-2 status on FNAC material from breast carcinomas using in situ hybridization with dual chromogen visualization with silver enhancement (dual SISH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beraki Elsa

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available During the last years, HER-2 status kits and protocols for chromogen visualization of hybridization signals have come on the market. The first generation using chromogen visualization used single color probes. The second generation, now emerging on the market, uses dual chromogen visualization. The aim of this study has been to test a new dual color chromogen kit (Ventana INFORM HER2 Dual Colour ISH Roche ® and compare the results with our in-house method(s. The material consisted primarily of cytological material from invasive breast carcinomas in 49 women. Dual SISH was done on all 49 cytological and histological specimens. The histological specimens were treated according to the manufacturer′s recommendations. The procedure was modified in several steps in order to adapt it to the cytological material. Hybridization failed in two cytological specimens. Dual SISH showed concordant results on cytological and histological material as to amplified/not amplified. The included cases had the same HER-2 expression in the invasive and the in situ components on histology. Four IDC showed HER-2 amplification (8.5%. Polysomy was found in two cases. All dual SISH results except for one concurred with the results of the in-house method(s (1/47=2.1%. The dual SISH is suitable for cytological examination of HER-2 status. The protocol must be optimized for cytological material.

  14. Safety and efficacy of neratinib (HKI-272) plus vinorelbine in the treatment of patients with ErbB2-positive metastatic breast cancer pretreated with anti-HER2 therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awada, A; Dirix, L; Manso Sanchez, L; Xu, B; Luu, T; Diéras, V; Hershman, D L; Agrapart, V; Ananthakrishnan, R; Staroslawska, E

    2013-01-01

    Neratinib (HKI-272) is a potent irreversible pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor with clinical activity in patients with ErbB2/HER2-positive breast cancer. Phase I of this open-label, phase I/II study investigated the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of oral neratinib (160 or 240 mg/day) plus vinorelbine (25 mg/m2; days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle) in patients with solid tumors. Phase II assessed the safety, clinical activity, and pharmacokinetics of the combination in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer; the primary efficacy end point was objective response (OR). In phase I (n=12), neratinib (240 mg) plus vinorelbine (25 mg/m2) was established as the MTD. In phase II, 79 patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer were treated at the MTD. The most common treatment-related adverse events were diarrhea (96%), neutropenia (54%), and nausea (50%). Three patients discontinued treatment due to diarrhea. No clinically important skin side-effects were observed. The OR rate in assessable phase II patients was 41% (no prior lapatinib) and 8% (prior lapatinib). There was no evidence of pharmacokinetic interaction between neratinib and vinorelbine. Neratinib plus vinorelbine showed promising antitumor activity and no unexpected toxic effects in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00706030.

  15. Evaluation of the first 44Sc-labeled Affibody molecule for imaging of HER2-expressing tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Honarvar, Hadis; Müller, Cristina; Cohrs, Susan; Haller, Stephanie; Westerlund, Kristina; Karlström, Amelie Eriksson; Meulen, Nicholas P. van der; Schibli, Roger; Tolmachev, Vladimir

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Affibody molecules are small (58 amino acids) high-affinity proteins based on a tri-helix non-immunoglobulin scaffold. A clinical study has demonstrated that PET imaging using Affibody molecules labeled with 68 Ga (T ½ = 68 min) can visualize metastases of breast cancer expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) and provide discrimination between tumors with high and low expression level. This may help to identify breast cancer patients benefiting from HER2-targeting therapies. The best discrimination was at 4 h post injection. Due to longer half-life, a positron-emitting radionuclide 44 Sc (T ½ = 4.04 h) might be a preferable label for Affibody molecules for imaging at several hours after injection. Methods: A synthetic second-generation anti-HER2 Affibody molecule Z HER2:2891 was labeled with 44 Sc via a DOTA-chelator conjugated to the N-terminal amino group. Binding specificity, affinity and cellular processing 44 Sc-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 and 68 Ga-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 were compared in vitro using HER2-expressing cells. Biodistribution and imaging properties of 44 Sc-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 and 68 Ga-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 were evaluated in Balb/c nude mice bearing HER2-expression xenografts. Results: The labeling yield of 98 ± 2% and specific activity of 7.8 GBq/μmol were obtained. The conjugate demonstrated specific binding to HER2-expressing SKOV3.ip cells in vitro and to SKOV3.ip xenografts in nude mice. The distribution of radioactivity at 3 h post injection was similar for 44 Sc-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 and 68 Ga-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 , but the blood clearance of the 44 Sc-labeled variant was slower and the tumor-to-blood ratio was reduced (15 ± 2 for 44 Sc-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 vs 46 ± 9 for 68 Ga-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 ). At 6 h after injection of 44 Sc-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 the tumor uptake was 8 ± 2% IA/g and the tumor-to-blood ratio was 51 ± 8. Imaging using small-animal PET/CT demonstrated that 44 Sc-DOTA-Z HER2:2891 provides specific and high

  16. Overcoming resistance and restoring sensitivity to HER2-targeted therapies in breast cancer.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Mohd Sharial, M S N

    2012-12-01

    Approximately 15%-23% of breast cancers overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which leads to the activation of signaling pathways that stimulate cell proliferation and survival. HER2-targeted therapy has substantially improved outcomes in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. However, both de novo and acquired resistance are observed.

  17. Evaluation of and quality assurance in HER2 analysis in breast carcinomas from patients registered in Danish Breast Cancer Group (DBCG) in the period of 2002-2006. A nationwide study including correlation between HER-2 status and other prognostic variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasmussen, Birgitte Bruun; Andersson, Michael; Christensen, Ib J; Møller, Susanne

    2008-01-01

    In Denmark, analysis for HER2 is situated in the pathology laboratories dealing with breast pathology. The analysis was introduced during the late 1990's, and was gradually intensified in the following years up to now. The present study deals with the experience with the analysis during the last 5 years, from 2002 - 2006. All patients, registered in DBCG (Danish Breast Cancer Group) and with a HER2-test were included. The analysis followed international recommendations, with an initial immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis with a semiquantitative grading of the reaction in four grades, 0 and 1+, defined as HER2-negative, 2+, equivocal and 3+, HER2-positive. In the 2+ group, a FISH-test was applied to identify the presence of gene amplification, defined as a ratio >/=2. We investigated the number of analyses performed, the number of positive cases and the relation between the result of IHC and the result of FISH. Furthermore we looked at the relation to other prognostic factors. The number of analyses gradually increased during the years of investigation, from 30% of patients in 2002 to 71% in 2006. The increase was seen in all laboratories resulting in all laboratories but one having a substantial number of analyses. Sixty-two percent of all cases were HER2-negative, 18% were equivocal and 21% positive in the IHC-analysis. Of the 2+, equivocal cases, 23% had gene-amplification. Thus, 23% of patients were defined as HER2-positive and eligible for treatment with trastuzumab. There was a significant correlation to other prognostic factors. The results are in accordance with what is found elsewhere. The quality of the test is further assured by all laboratories participating in external quality assurance schemes.

  18. Status of Her2 over expression in muscle invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma: Report of 21 cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nesrine Mejri

    2014-01-01

    Four patients died from disease, one of them had Her2 3+ score. Conclusion: Her2 overexpression can be observed in muscle invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma in an important number of patients. Evaluation criteria must be standardized, especially with heterogeneous cases. Metastases tests can also readdress the expression of Her2, which gives the patient a supplementary therapeutic tool.

  19. Phase I study of neratinib in combination with temsirolimus in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-dependent and other solid tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gandhi, Leena; Bahleda, Rastislav; Tolaney, Sara M; Kwak, Eunice L; Cleary, James M; Pandya, Shuchi S; Hollebecque, Antoine; Abbas, Richat; Ananthakrishnan, Revathi; Berkenblit, Anna; Krygowski, Mizue; Liang, Yali; Turnbull, Kathleen W; Shapiro, Geoffrey I; Soria, Jean-Charles

    2014-01-10

    Human epidermal growth factor (HER) -mediated signaling is critical in many cancers, including subsets of breast and lung cancer. HER family members signal via the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) -AKT/protein kinase B-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) cascade; mTOR activation is critical for the expression of multiple contributors to tumor growth and invasion. On the basis of preclinical data suggesting synergy of HER2 inhibition and mTOR inhibition in breast and lung cancer models, we conducted a phase I combination study of neratinib, a small-molecule irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and temsirolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors. This study enrolled patients to dosing combinations of neratinib and temsirolimus. The primary objective was to estimate the toxicity contour of the combination and establish recommended phase II doses. Sixty patients were treated on 12 of 16 possible dosing combinations. Diarrhea was the most common drug-related (93%) and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), constituting four of 10 DLTs. Dose-limiting grade 3 metabolic abnormalities were also observed. Other frequent drug-related toxicities included nausea, stomatitis (both 53%), and anemia (48%). Two maximum-tolerated dose combinations were identified: 200 mg of neratinib/25 mg of temsirolimus and 160 mg of neratinib/50 mg of temsirolimus. Responses were noted in patients with HER2-amplified breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab, HER2-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer, and tumor types without identified mutations in the HER-PI3K-mTOR pathway. The combination of neratinib and temsirolimus was tolerable and demonstrated antitumor activity in multiple tumor types, warranting further evaluation.

  20. Development of an Anti-HER2 Monoclonal Antibody H2Mab-139 Against Colon Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaneko, Mika K; Yamada, Shinji; Itai, Shunsuke; Kato, Yukinari

    2018-02-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression has been reported in several cancers, such as breast, gastric, lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers. HER2 is overexpressed in those cancers and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Trastuzumab, a humanized anti-HER2 antibody, provides significant survival benefits for patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancers and gastric cancers. In this study, we developed a novel anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody (mAb), H 2 Mab-139 (IgG 1 , kappa) and investigated it against colon cancers using flow cytometry, western blot, and immunohistochemical analyses. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that H 2 Mab-139 reacted with colon cancer cell lines, such as Caco-2, HCT-116, HCT-15, HT-29, LS 174T, COLO 201, COLO 205, HCT-8, SW1116, and DLD-1. Although H 2 Mab-139 strongly reacted with LN229/HER2 cells on the western blot, we did not observe a specific signal for HER2 in colon cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed sensitive and specific reactions of H 2 Mab-139 against colon cancers, indicating that H 2 Mab-139 is useful in detecting HER2 overexpression in colon cancers using flow cytometry and immunohistochemical analyses.

  1. HER2 expression in cervical cancer as a potential therapeutic target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chavez-Blanco, Alma; Perez-Sanchez, Victor; Gonzalez-Fierro, Aurora; Vela-Chavez, Teresa; Candelaria, Myrna; Cetina, Lucely; Vidal, Silvia; Dueñas-Gonzalez, Alfonso

    2004-01-01

    Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the HER2 receptor is currently being used in breast and other tumor types. Early studies have shown that a variable proportion of cervical carcinoma tumors overexpress the HER2 receptor as evaluated by diverse techniques and antibodies. Currently it is known that a tumor response to trastuzumab strongly correlates with the level of HER2 expression evaluated by the Hercep Test, thus, it seems desirable to evaluate the status of expression of this receptor using the FDA-approved Hercep Test and grading system to gain insight in the feasibility of using trastuzumab in cervical cancer patients. We analyzed a series of cervical cancer cell lines, the primary tumors of 35 cases of cervical cancer patients and four recurrent cases, with the Hercep Test in order to establish whether this tumor type overexpress HER2 at level of 2+/3+ as trastuzumab is currently approved for breast cancer having such level of expression. The results indicate that only 1 out of 35 primary tumors cases overexpress the receptor at this level, however, two out of four recurrent tumors that tested negative at diagnosis shifted to Hercep Test 2+ and 3+ respectively. The low frequency of expression in primary cases suggests that trastuzumab could have a limited value for the primary management of cervical cancer patients, however, the finding of 'conversion' to Hercep Test 2+ and 3+ of recurrent tumors indicates the need to further evaluate the expression of HER2 in the metastatic and recurrent cases

  2. Evaluation of non-genomic, clinical risk and survival results in endocrine-sensitive, HER-2 negative, node negative breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baena Cañada, José M; Gámez Casado, Salvador; Rodríguez Pérez, Lourdes; Quílez Cutillas, Alicia; Cortés Carmona, Cristina; Rosado Varela, Petra; Estalella Mendoza, Sara; Ramírez Daffós, Patricia; Benítez Rodríguez, Encarnación

    2018-02-28

    In endocrine-sensitive, HER-2 negative, node negative breast cancer, the presence of a low genomic risk allows treatment with adjuvant endocrine therapy alone, obtaining excellent survival rates. The justification for this study is to show that excellent survival rates are also obtained by treating with adjuvant hormone therapy alone, based on clinical risk assessment. A descriptive, observational and retrospective study was performed between 2006 and 2016 with endocrine-sensitive, HER-2 negative, node negative breast cancer, greater than 1cm or between 0.6 and 1cm with unfavourable features. Retrospective review of health records. Mortality data of the National Registry of Deaths. A total of 203 patients were evaluable for survival. One hundred and twenty-three (60.50%) were treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy alone, 77 (37.90%) with chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, one (0.50%) with chemotherapy alone and 2 (1%) were not treated. The overall survival rate at 5 years was 97% (95% confidence interval [CI] 94-100). Distant recurrence-free interval was 94% (95% CI 90-98). In the subgroup of patients treated with endocrine therapy alone, overall survival and distant recurrence-free interval rates at 5 years were 98% (95% CI 95-100) and 97% (95% CI 93-100), respectively. Patients with endocrine-sensitive, HER-2-negative, node negative breast cancer treated with endocrine therapy alone according to their clinical risk have similar survival outcomes as those treated with endocrine therapy according to their genomic risk. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. Plasma thymidine kinase-1 activity predicts outcome in patients with hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer treated with endocrine therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonechi, Martina; Galardi, Francesca; Biagioni, Chiara; De Luca, Francesca; Bergqvist, Mattias; Neumüller, Magnus; Guarducci, Cristina; Boccalini, Giulia; Gabellini, Stefano; Migliaccio, Ilenia; Di Leo, Angelo; Pestrin, Marta; Malorni, Luca

    2018-03-27

    The aim of this study was to investigate if thymidine kinase-1 (TK1), a well-known proliferation marker, could represent a valid circulating biomarker to identify hormone receptor positive (HR+)/HER2 negative (HER2neg) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients most likely to benefit from endocrine therapy (ET). We used the DiviTum™ assay to analyze TK1 activity in cell lysates of three HR+/HER2neg BC cell lines and in plasma of 31 HR+/HER2neg MBC patients receiving ET. Blood samples were collected at treatment initiation, after one month and at disease progression. CTCs count and ESR1 / PIK3CA mutations in circulating tumor DNA were performed and correlated with TK1 activity. TK1 activity was reduced in the two endocrine-sensitive cell lines after 2 days of treatment. In patients, high baseline TK1 activity correlated with CTCs positivity (p-value=0.014). Patients with low baseline levels of TK1 activity had a significantly better PFS compared to those with high baseline TK1 activity (p-value=0.012). Patients with an early drop of TK1 activity after one month of treatment had a significantly better PFS compared to those who experienced an increase (p-value=0.0026). Our study suggests that TK1 could be a potential prognostic, predictive and monitoring marker of early ET response in HR+/HER2neg MBC patients.

  4. Analysis of molecular subtypes for the increased HER2 equivocal cases caused by application of the updated 2013 ASCO/CAP HER2 testing guidelines in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Lei; Yuan, Pei; Zhang, Jing; Ling, Yun; Li, Wenbin; Zhao, Bohui; Ying, Jianming; Xuan, Lixue

    2017-11-01

    Accurate testing of the status of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) is a prerequisite for HER2-directed therapy. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) published joint guideline recommendations for HER2 testing in breast cancer in 2007 and it was updated in 2013. We compared the HER2 gene amplification status based on these two guidelines and analyzed the molecular characteristics of the equivocal cases. A total of 1894 patient samples were analyzed for both immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). HER2 FISH amplification was examined and re-assessed using 2013 guidelines. According to the 2013 ASCO/CAP recommendations, 763 (40.3%) cases were classified as HER2 positive compared with 729 (38.5%) cases defined by 2007 guidelines. There was a significant increase of 6.1% in the proportion of HER2 FISH equivocal cases that were interpreted using ASCO/CAP 2013 (7.3%) compared with 2007 (1.2%) guidelines (P guidelines, 125 cases were IHC2+ and 13 cases were IHC1+. These 125 cases included 4 double equivocal cases which were defined as equivocal by both 2007 and 2013 guidelines and 121 cases whose status was changed from negative defined by 2007 guidelines to equivocal defined by 2013 guidelines. Compared with luminal A type and luminal B type respectively, these 121 equivocal cases demonstrated no significant difference with luminal B type in T stage and N stage (P = 0.192, P = 0.421). When we divided the luminal B type into two parts that included HER2 negative cases and HER2 positive cases, the equivocal cases also showed no significant difference with these two subtypes in T stage and N stage. Our study suggested that implementation of the revised ASCO/CAP 2013 guidelines resulted in an increase of 1.7% in overall HER2 positivity rate and of 6.1% in equivocal cases. Pathological analysis revealed that these equivocal cases exhibit similar biological

  5. Response to HER2 Inhibition in a Patient With Brain Metastasis With EGFR TKI Acquired Resistance and an HER2 Amplification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arenda D. Meedendorp

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available A 62-year-old man was referred to our university hospital for treatment of advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung after disease progression on two lines of EGFR TKI and one line of chemotherapy. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis upon progression showed an HER2 amplification. At our weekly Molecular Tumor Board (MTB, a decision was made to treat this patient with afatinib, which resulted in a partial response. However, progression was observed with a facial nerve paresis due to a metastasis in the skull. A biopsy of a location in the thorax revealed the presence of an EGFR-T790M mutation associated with acquired resistance, after which treatment with osimertinib was started. After 6 months, disease progression was observed, and a new biopsy was taken from the pelvic bone, which revealed the original amplification of HER2 together with the EGFR-L858R mutation, the EGFR-T790M mutation was not detected. The MTB decided to treat the patient with trastuzumab/paclitaxel. A partial response was observed in different bone lesions, while the skull metastasis with ingrowth in the brain remained stable for 6 months. Because of progression of the bone metastases after 6 months, a biopsy of a lesion in the thorax wall was taken. In this lesion, the EGFR-T790M mutation could be detected again. The MTB advised to start treatment with a combination of osimertinib and afatinib. This resulted in an impressive clinical improvement and a partial response of the bone metastases on the most recent 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computer tomography-scan. In conclusion, adjusting treatment to the mutational make-up of the tumor is a great challenge. For optimal treatment response multiple biopsies and re-biopsy upon progression are imperative. As more genes are investigated, treatment decision becomes increasingly difficult, therefore, expert opinions from an MTB is essential.

  6. (18)F-nanobody for PET imaging of HER2 overexpressing tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xavier, Catarina; Blykers, Anneleen; Vaneycken, Ilse; D'Huyvetter, Matthias; Heemskerk, Jan; Lahoutte, Tony; Devoogdt, Nick; Caveliers, Vicky

    2016-04-01

    Radiolabeled nanobodies are exciting new probes for molecular imaging due to high affinity, high specificity and fast washout from the blood. Here we present the labeling of an anti-HER2 nanobody with (18)F and its validation for in vivo assessment of HER2 overexpression. The GMP grade anti-HER2 nanobody was labeled with the prosthetic group, N-succinimidyl-4-[(18)F]fluorobenzoate ([(18)F]-SFB), and its biodistribution, tumor targeting and specificity were evaluated in mouse and rat tumor models. [(18)F]FB-anti-HER2 nanobody was prepared with a 5-15% global yield (decay corrected) and a specific activity of 24.7 ± 8.2 MBq/nmol. In vivo studies demonstrated a high specific uptake for HER2 positive xenografts (5.94 ± 1.17 and 3.74 ± 0.52%IA/g, 1 and 3h p.i.) with high tumor-to-blood and tumor-to-muscle ratios generating high contrast PET imaging. The probe presented fast clearance through the kidneys (4%IA/g at 3h p.i.). [(18)F]FB-anti-HER2 nanobody is able to image HER2 expressing tumors when co-administered with the anti-HER2 therapeutic antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin), indicating the possibility of using the tracer in patients undergoing Herceptin therapy. The GMP grade anti-HER2 nanobody was labeled with (18)F. This new PET probe for imaging HER2 overexpression in tumors has ample potential for clinical translation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. 18F-nanobody for PET imaging of HER2 overexpressing tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xavier, Catarina; Blykers, Anneleen; Vaneycken, Ilse; D'Huyvetter, Matthias; Heemskerk, Jan; Lahoutte, Tony; Devoogdt, Nick; Caveliers, Vicky

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: Radiolabeled nanobodies are exciting new probes for molecular imaging due to high affinity, high specificity and fast washout from the blood. Here we present the labeling of an anti-HER2 nanobody with 18 F and its validation for in vivo assessment of HER2 overexpression. Methods: The GMP grade anti-HER2 nanobody was labeled with the prosthetic group, N-succinimidyl-4-[ 18 F]fluorobenzoate ([ 18 F]-SFB), and its biodistribution, tumor targeting and specificity were evaluated in mouse and rat tumor models. Results: [ 18 F]FB-anti-HER2 nanobody was prepared with a 5–15% global yield (decay corrected) and a specific activity of 24.7 ± 8.2 MBq/nmol. In vivo studies demonstrated a high specific uptake for HER2 positive xenografts (5.94 ± 1.17 and 3.74 ± 0.52%IA/g, 1 and 3 h p.i.) with high tumor-to-blood and tumor-to-muscle ratios generating high contrast PET imaging. The probe presented fast clearance through the kidneys (4%IA/g at 3 h p.i.). [ 18 F]FB-anti-HER2 nanobody is able to image HER2 expressing tumors when co-administered with the anti-HER2 therapeutic antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin), indicating the possibility of using the tracer in patients undergoing Herceptin therapy. Conclusions: The GMP grade anti-HER2 nanobody was labeled with 18 F. This new PET probe for imaging HER2 overexpression in tumors has ample potential for clinical translation.

  8. Protein secretion in human mammary epithelial cells following HER1 receptor activation: influence of HER2 and HER3 expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yi; Gonzalez, Rachel M; Zangar, Richard C

    2011-01-01

    Protein secretion by mammary cells results in autocrine and paracrine signaling that defines cell growth, migration and the extracellular environment. Even so, we have a limited understanding of the cellular processes that regulate protein secretion. In this study, we utilize human epithelial mammary cell (HMEC) lines that were engineered to express different levels of HER1, HER2 and HER3. Using an ELISA microarray platform, we evaluate the effects of epidermal growth factor family receptor (HER) expression on protein secretion in the HMEC lines upon initiation of HER1 receptor activation. The secreted proteins include three HER1 ligands, interleukins 1α and 18, RANTES, vascular-endothelial and platelet-derived growth factors, matrix metalloproteases 1, 2 and 9, and the extracellular portion of the HER1 and HER2 proteins. In addition, we investigate whether MAPK/Erk and PI3K/Akt signaling regulate protein secretion in these cell lines and if so, whether the involvement of HER2 or HER3 receptor alters their response to MAPK/Erk and PI3K/Akt signal pathway inhibition in terms of protein secretion. Differential expression of HER2 and HER3 receptors alters the secretion of a variety of growth factors, cytokines, and proteases. Some alterations in protein secretion are still observed when MAPK/Erk or PI3K/Akt signaling is inhibited. This study suggests that HER overexpression orchestrates broad changes in the tumor microenvironment by altering the secretion of a diverse variety of biologically active proteins

  9. Correlation between apparent diffusion coefficients and HER2 status in gastric cancers: pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Jian; Shi, Hua; Zhou, Zhuping; Chen, Jun; Guan, Wenxian; Wang, Hao; Yu, Haiping; Liu, Song; Zhou, Zhengyang; Yang, Xiaofeng; Liu, Tian

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of gastric cancer obtained from diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) correlates with the HER2 status. Forty-five patients, who had been diagnosed with gastric cancer through biopsy, were enrolled in this IRB-approved study. Each patient underwent a DWI (b values: 0 and 1,000 sec/mm 2 ) prior to surgery (curative gastrectomy or palliative resection). Postoperative microscopic findings, HER2 status by immunohistochemical analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were obtained. HER2 status was compared among gastric cancers with various histopathological features using the chi square test. The ADC values of gastric cancers with positive and negative HER2 were compared using the student t test. A weak yet significant correlation was observed between the mean ADC values and HER2 status (r = 0.312, P = 0.037) and scores (r = 0.419, P = 0.004). The mean ADC value of HER2-positive gastric cancers was significantly higher than those of HER2-negative tumors (1.211 vs. 0.984 mm 2 /s, P = 0.020). The minimal ADC value of HER2-positive gastric cancers was significantly higher than those of HER2-negative tumors (1.105 vs. 0.905 × 10 −3 mm 2 /s, P = 0.036). In this pilot study, we have demonstrated that the ADC values of gastric cancer correlate with the HER2 status. Future research is warranted to see if DWI can predict HER2 status and help in tailoring therapy for gastric cancer

  10. Selective anti-proliferation of HER2-positive breast cancer cells by anthocyanins identified by high-throughput screening.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weihua Liu

    Full Text Available Overexpressed Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 drives the biology of 20% breast cancer and is a prediction of a poor prognosis for patients. HER2-targeted therapies significantly improve outcomes for HER2-positive patients. Traditional Chinese herbs/medicines have been used to treat breast cancer patients including HER2-positive patients in Asia for decades. Although the traditional medicines demonstrate efficacy in clinics for HER2-positive patients, the mechanism is largely unknown. In this article, we screened a 10,000 natural product library in 6 different cell lines representing breast cancer, and assessed the ability of each drug to cause cytotoxicity through a high-throughput screening approach. We have identified eight natural compounds that selectively inhibit the proliferation of HER2-positive cells. Two of the hit compounds, peonidin-3-glucoside and cyaniding-3-glucoside, are both extracts from black rice. They inhibit the phospho-HER2 and phospho-AKT and were confirmed to induce HER2-psotive breast cancer cells apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Peonidin-3-glucoside and cyaniding-3-glucoside treatments significantly reduced the tumor size and volume in vivo compared to the control group. There is no significant difference of antitumorgenic effects between peonidin-3-glucoside and cyaniding-3-glucoside treatments.

  11. CPT-11/bevacizumab for the treatment of refractory brain metastases in patients with HER2–neu-positive breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengupta, S.; Rojas, R.; Mahadevan, A.; Kasper, E.; Jeyapalan, S.

    2015-01-01

    Nervous system relapse of patients with advanced HER2–neu-positive breast cancer is an increasing problem, with one-third of women developing brain metastases. Standard therapies using steroids, surgery and radiotherapy do not provide a lasting response. We evaluated CPT-11 and bevacizumab, which can both cross the blood–brain barrier, as combination therapy to treat HER2–neu-positive breast cancer with brain metastases. PMID:26634139

  12. Comparison of HER2 and phospho-HER2 expression between biopsy and resected breast cancer specimens using a quantitative assessment method.

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    Yalai Bai

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: HER2/Neu (ErbB-2 overexpression, which occurs in 15-20% of breast cancer cases, is associated with better response to treatment with the drug trastuzumab. PhosphoHER2 (pHER2 has been evaluated for prediction of response to trastuzumab. Both markers are heterogeneously detected and are potentially subject to loss as a consequence of delayed time to fixation. Here, we quantitatively assess both markers in core needle biopsies (CNBs and matched tumor resections to assess concordance between the core and the resection and between HER2 and pHER2. METHODS: A selected retrospective collection of archival breast cancer cases yielded 67 cases with both core and resection specimens. Both HER2 and pTyr(1248HER2 were analyzed by the AQUA® method of quantitative immunofluorescence on each specimen pair. RESULTS: Both HER2 immunoreactivity (P<0.0001 and pTyr(1248HER2 immunoreactivity (P<0.0001 were lower in resections relative to CNB specimens. However, clinical implications of this change may not be evident since no case changed from 3+ (CNB to negative (resection. Assessment of pTyr(1248HER2 showed no direct correlation with HER2 in either CNB or resection specimens. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that measurement of both HER2 and phospho- Tyr(1248HER2, in formalin-fixed tissue by immunological methods is significantly affected by pre-analytic variables. The current study warrants the adequate handling of resected specimens for the reproducible evaluation of HER2 and pHER2. The level of pTyr(1248HER2, was not correlated to total HER2 protein. Further studies are required to determine the significance of these observations with respect to response to HER2 directed therapies.

  13. Novel approaches to target HER2-positive breast cancer: trastuzumab emtansine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Recondo, Gonzalo Jr; Vega, Maximo de la; Galanternik, Fernando; Díaz-Cantón, Enrique; Leone, Bernardo Amadeo; Leone, José Pablo

    2016-01-01

    The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in 20% of breast carcinomas. Prior to the development of targeted therapies, HER2-positive breast cancer was associated with more aggressive disease and poor prognosis. Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate that results from the combination of trastuzumab and DM1, a derivative of the antimicrotubule agent maytansine. This molecule has the ability to enhance cytotoxic drug delivery to specifically targeted cells that overexpress HER2, therefore, maximizing efficacy while sparing toxicity. In recent years, T-DM1 has shown to improve outcomes in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer that is resistant to trastuzumab. In addition, T-DM1 is currently being tested in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings to identify patients who may benefit from this therapy. This review focuses on the mechanism of action, early and late-phase clinical trials, and ongoing studies of T-DM1 in HER2-positive breast cancer

  14. Clinical utility of RT-PCR in assessing HER 2 gene expression versus traditional IHC and FISH in breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suryavanshi, Moushumi; Mehta, Anurag; Jaipuria, Jiten; Kumar, Dushyant; Vishwakarma, Gayatri; Panigrahi, Manoj Kumar; Verma, Haristuti; Saifi, Mumtaz; Sharma, Sanjeev; Tandon, Simran; Doval, D C; Das, Bhudev C

    2018-02-09

    IHC and FISH are used for categorizing HER 2 status in breast cancer at the protein and DNA level, respectively. HER 2 expression at the RNA level is quantitative, cheaper, easier to standardize and free from interobserver variation. 115 consecutive patients were tested by IHC, FISH and RT-PCR (test cohort). Assuming FISH result to be the response variable, ROC curves for RT-PCR ratio were analyzed to label HER 2 negative, equivocal and positive cases as RT-PCR score 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Inter-relationships between RT-PCR, IHC and FISH were defined. 'Clinical benefit' of a test was defined as proportion of patients labeled unequivocally as HER 2 positive or negative. Population for 1 year was simulated constraint to previous reports of HER 2 positivity and IHC category distribution by a meta-analysis of previous studies that evaluated concordance between IHC and FISH to determine HER 2 status (simulation cohort). Four diagnostic pathways in the simulation cohort were defined-(1) initial IHC, followed by FISH (conventional pathway); (2) initial RT-PCR, followed by FISH; (3) initial IHC, followed by RT-PCR and then by FISH; (4) initial RT-PCR, followed by IHC and then by FISH. The clinical benefit of IHC and RT-PCR in the four pathways was analyzed and sensitivity analysis for incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and cost-benefit comapring RT-PCR against IHC, both as first-line tests and among those with IHC score 2 as a reflex second-line test was performed by the Monte Carlo technique. 115 patients comprised the study population. While none with IHC score of 0 or 1 was FISH positive for HER 2, all cases with IHC score of 3 were FISH positive. 43 cases were assigned IHC score of 2. Thus, 72 patients benefited from the initial IHC testing [clinical benefit 62.6%], with the overall concordance between IHC and FISH being 100% for those with IHC score of 0, 1 and 3 (conclusive IHC categories). For RT-PCR with 100% concordance, 15.7% (115-97 = 18) patients

  15. HER2-Targeted Polyinosine/Polycytosine Therapy Inhibits Tumor Growth and Modulates the Tumor Immune Microenvironment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zigler, Maya; Shir, Alexei; Joubran, Salim; Sagalov, Anna; Klein, Shoshana; Edinger, Nufar; Lau, Jeffrey; Yu, Shang-Fan; Mizraji, Gabriel; Globerson Levin, Anat; Sliwkowski, Mark X; Levitzki, Alexander

    2016-08-01

    The development of targeted therapies that affect multiple signaling pathways and stimulate antitumor immunity is greatly needed. About 20% of patients with breast cancer overexpress HER2. Small molecules and antibodies targeting HER2 convey some survival benefits; however, patients with advanced disease succumb to the disease under these treatment regimens, possibly because HER2 is not completely necessary for the survival of the targeted cancer cells. In the present study, we show that a polyinosine/polycytosine (pIC) HER2-homing chemical vector induced the demise of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells, including trastuzumab-resistant cells. Targeting pIC to the tumor evoked a number of cell-killing mechanisms, as well as strong bystander effects. These bystander mechanisms included type I IFN induction, immune cell recruitment, and activation. The HER2-targeted pIC strongly inhibited the growth of HER2-overexpressing tumors in immunocompetent mice. The data presented here could open additional avenues in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(8); 688-97. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  16. H2Mab-77 is a Sensitive and Specific Anti-HER2 Monoclonal Antibody Against Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itai, Shunsuke; Fujii, Yuki; Kaneko, Mika K; Yamada, Shinji; Nakamura, Takuro; Yanaka, Miyuki; Saidoh, Noriko; Chang, Yao-Wen; Handa, Saori; Takahashi, Maki; Suzuki, Hiroyoshi; Harada, Hiroyuki; Kato, Yukinari

    2017-08-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) plays a critical role in the progression of breast cancers, and HER2 overexpression is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Trastuzumab is an anti-HER2 humanized antibody that leads to significant survival benefits in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancers. In this study, we developed novel anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and characterized their efficacy in flow cytometry, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analyses. Initially, we expressed the full length or ectodomain of HER2 in LN229 glioblastoma cells and then immunized mice with ectodomain of HER2 or LN229/HER2, and performed the first screening by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using ectodomain of HER2. Subsequently, we selected mAbs according to their efficacy in flow cytometry (second screening), Western blot (third screening), and immunohistochemical analyses (fourth screening). Among 100 mAb clones, only three mAbs reacted with HER2 in Western blot, and clone H 2 Mab-77 (IgG 1 , kappa) was selected. Finally, immunohistochemical analyses with H 2 Mab-77 showed sensitive and specific reactions against breast cancer cells, warranting the use of H 2 Mab-77 to detect HER2 in pathological analyses of breast cancers.

  17. Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of HER-2/neu and VEGF expression in colon carcinomas

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    Li Jing

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background HER-2/neu and VEGF expression is correlated with disease behaviors in various cancers. However, evidence for their expression in colon cancer is rather contradictory both for the protein expression status and prognostic value. HER-2/neu is found to participate in VEGF regulation, and has known correlation with VEGF expression in some tumors. In this study, we investigated HER-2/neu and VEGF expression in Chinese colon patients and explored whether there was any correlation between their expression patterns. Methods HER-2/neu and VEGF were investigated immunohistochemically using tumor samples obtained from 317 colon cancer patients with all tumor stages. Correlation of the degree of staining with clinicopathological parameters and survival was investigated. Results Positive expression rates of HER-2/neu and VEGF in colon cancer were 15.5% and 55.5% respectively. HER-2/neu expression was significantly correlated with tumor size and distant metastases (P (P > 0.05. Expression of VEGF was significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor stage, lymph node metastases, and distant metastases (P (P = 0.146. No correlation between HER-2/neu and VEGF expression was detected (P = 0.151. Conclusions HER-2/neu and VEGF are not important prognostic markers of colon cancer. The present results do not support any association between HER2/neu and VEGF expression in this setting.

  18. HER-2/neu Overexpression as a Predictor for the Transition from In situ to Invasive Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roses, Robert E.; Paulson, E. Carter; Sharma, Anupama; Schueller, Jeanne E.; Nisenbaum, Harvey; Weinstein, Susan; Fox, Kevin R.; Zhang, Paul J.; Czerniecki, Brian J.

    2009-01-01

    The clinical implications of HER-2/neu (HER2) expression in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions have yet to be clearly elucidated; this despite the more frequent expression of HER2 in high-grade DCIS lesions compared with invasive cancers. We hypothesized that HER2 overexpression in DCIS is associated with more rapid progression to invasive disease. Immunohistochemical staining for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 was done on DCIS specimens. Univariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression were done to determine whether estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or HER2 status, comedo necrosis, nuclear grade, lesion size, or patient age predicted the presence of associated invasive disease in patients with DCIS. Invasive foci were found in association with HER2 overexpressing DCIS at a higher frequency than with DCIS that did not overexpress HER2. Although high nuclear grade, large lesion size, and HER2 overexpression were all associated with the presence of invasive disease on univariate analysis, HER2 was the only significant predictor for the presence of invasive disease after multivariate adjustment (odds ratio, 6.4; P = 0.01). These data indicate that HER2 overexpression in DCIS lesions predicts the presence of invasive foci in patients with DCIS and suggest that targeting of HER2 in an early disease setting may forestall or prevent disease progression. PMID:19383888

  19. Differences in radiosensitivity between three HER2 overexpressing cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steffen, Ann-Charlott; Tolmachev, Vladimir; Stenerloew, Bo; Goestring, Lovisa; Palm, Stig; Carlsson, Joergen

    2008-01-01

    HER2 is a potential target for radionuclide therapy, especially when HER2 overexpressing breast cancer cells are resistant to Herceptin registered treatment. Therefore, it is of interest to analyse whether HER2 overexpressing tumour cells have different inherent radiosensitivity. The radiosensitivity of three often used HER2 overexpressing cell lines, SKOV-3, SKBR-3 and BT-474, was analysed. The cells were exposed to conventional photon irradiation, low linear energy transfer (LET), to characterise their inherent radiosensitivity. The analysis was made with clonogenic survival and growth extrapolation assays. The cells were also exposed to alpha particles, high LET, from 211 At decays using the HER2-binding affibody molecule 211 At-(Z HER2:4 ) 2 as targeting agent. Assays for studies of internalisation of the affibody molecule were applied. SKOV-3 cells were most radioresistant, SKBR-3 cells were intermediate and BT-474 cells were most sensitive as measured with the clonogenic and growth extrapolation assays after photon irradiation. The HER2 dependent cellular uptake of 211 At was qualitatively similar for all three cell lines. However, the sensitivity to the alpha particles from 211 At differed; SKOV-3 was most resistant, SKBR-3 intermediate and BT-474 most sensitive. These differences were unexpected because it is assumed that all types of cells should have similar sensitivity to high-LET radiation. The sensitivity to alpha particle exposure correlated with internalisation of the affibody molecule and with size of the cell nucleus. There can be differences in radiosensitivity, which, if they also exist between patient breast cancer cells, are important to consider for both conventional radiotherapy and for HER2-targeted radionuclide therapy. (orig.)

  20. Human Papillomavirus Regulates HER3 Expression in Head and Neck Cancer: Implications for Targeted HER3 Therapy in HPV+ Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, Toni M; Hartmann, Stefan; Bhola, Neil E; Peyser, Noah D; Li, Hua; Zeng, Yan; Isaacson Wechsler, Erin; Ranall, Max V; Bandyopadhyay, Sourav; Duvvuri, Umamaheswar; LaVallee, Theresa M; Jordan, Richard C K; Johnson, Daniel E; Grandis, Jennifer R

    2017-06-15

    Purpose: Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 plays an etiologic role in a growing subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), where viral expression of the E6 and E7 oncoproteins is necessary for tumor growth and maintenance. Although patients with HPV + tumors have a more favorable prognosis, there are currently no HPV-selective therapies. Recent studies identified differential receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) profiles in HPV + versus HPV - tumors. One such RTK, HER3, is overexpressed and interacts with phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) in HPV + tumors. Therefore, we investigated the role of HPV oncoproteins in regulating HER3-mediated signaling and determined whether HER3 could be a molecular target in HPV + HNSCC. Experimental Design: HER3 was investigated as a molecular target in HPV + HNSCC using established cell lines, patient-derived xenografts (PDX), and human tumor specimens. A mechanistic link between HPV and HER3 was examined by augmenting E6 and E7 expression levels in HNSCC cell lines. The dependency of HPV + and HPV - HNSCC models on HER3 was evaluated with anti-HER3 siRNAs and the clinical stage anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody KTN3379. Results: HER3 was overexpressed in HPV + HNSCC, where it was associated with worse overall survival in patients with pharyngeal cancer. Further investigation indicated that E6 and E7 regulated HER3 protein expression and downstream PI3K pathway signaling. Targeting HER3 with siRNAs or KTN3379 significantly inhibited the growth of HPV + cell lines and PDXs. Conclusions: This study uncovers a direct relationship between HPV infection and HER3 in HNSCC and provides a rationale for the clinical evaluation of targeted HER3 therapy for the treatment of HPV + patients. Clin Cancer Res; 23(12); 3072-83. ©2016 AACR . ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  1. ADAM10 mediates trastuzumab resistance and is correlated with survival in HER2 positive breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldinger, Katharina; Generali, Daniele; Kramer-Marek, Gabriela; Gijsen, Merel; Ng, Tzi Bun; Wong, Jack Ho; Strina, Carla; Cappelletti, Mariarosa; Andreis, Daniele; Li, Ji-Liang; Bridges, Esther; Turley, Helen; Leek, Russell; Roxanis, Ioannis; Capala, Jacek; Murphy, Gillian; Harris, Adrian L.; Kong, Anthony

    2014-01-01

    Trastuzumab prolongs survival in HER2 positive breast cancer patients. However, resistance remains a challenge. We have previously shown that ADAM17 plays a key role in maintaining HER2 phosphorylation during trastuzumab treatment. Beside ADAM17, ADAM10 is the other well characterized ADAM protease responsible for HER ligand shedding. Therefore, we studied the role of ADAM10 in relation to trastuzumab treatment and resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. ADAM10 expression was assessed in HER2 positive breast cancer cell lines and xenograft mice treated with trastuzumab. Trastuzumab treatment increased ADAM10 levels in HER2 positive breast cancer cells (p≤0.001 in BT474; p≤0.01 in SKBR3) and in vivo (p≤0.0001) compared to control, correlating with a decrease in PKB phosphorylation. ADAM10 inhibition or knockdown enhanced trastuzumab response in naïve and trastuzumab resistant breast cancer cells. Trastuzumab monotherapy upregulated ADAM10 (p≤0.05); and higher pre-treatment ADAM10 levels correlated with decreased clinical response (p≤0.05) at day 21 in HER2 positive breast cancer patients undergoing a trastuzumab treatment window study. Higher ADAM10 levels correlated with poorer relapse-free survival (p≤0.01) in a cohort of HER2 positive breast cancer patients. Our studies implicate a role of ADAM10 in acquired resistance to trastuzumab and establish ADAM10 as a therapeutic target and a potential biomarker for HER2 positive breast cancer patients. PMID:24952873

  2. Vinorelbine-based salvage therapy in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients progressing during trastuzumab-containing regimens: a retrospective study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viale Giuseppe

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The vinka-alkaloyd vinorelbine is a potentially valuable treatment in patients with HER2-positive, trastuzumab-resistant advanced breast cancer. We sought to document the clinical activity of vinorelbine-based salvage treatments in this clinical setting. Methods We analyzed a cohort of 424 consecutive women receiving trastuzumab-based therapy for HER2-positive advanced breast cancer. Of these, 299 were identified as progressing during the initial trastuzumab-based treatment, and 77 received vinorelbine-based therapy as first salvage treatment. Central review of pathological specimens revealed that 70 patients had HER2-amplification detected by FISH. For these patients we determined overall response rate (ORR = complete-CR + partial-PR and clinical benefit (CB = CR+PR+ Stable disease lasting at least 6 months, time to progression (TTP and overall survival (OS from the initiation of vinorelbine-based salvage therapy. Results In 60 patients who were evaluable for tumor response, ORR and CB rates were 28% (95% C.I. 18%-41% and 50% (95% C.I. 38%-62%, respectively. Median follow-up from the initiation of salvage therapy was 15 months (range 1–63 months. Median TTP and OS were 7.1 months (95% C.I. 6.6–7.7 months and 21 months (95% C.I. 14.3–27.7 months, respectively. No differences in clinical outcomes were observed according to whether vinorelbine was administered as a single agent or in combination with other cytostatics, or whether trastuzumab was stopped or continued beyond disease progression. Conclusion our findings suggests that vinorelbine-based combinations are active and should be further evaluated in studies conducted in trastuzumab-resistant patients, including those evaluating newer HER2-targeting agents.

  3. An immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization-based comparison between the Oracle HER2 Bond Immunohistochemical System, Dako HercepTest, and Vysis PathVysion HER2 FISH using both commercially validated and modified ASCO/CAP and United Kingdom HER2 IHC scoring guidelines.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Grady, Anthony

    2010-12-01

    Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used as the frontline assay to determine HER2 status in invasive breast cancer patients. The aim of the study was to compare the performance of the Leica Oracle HER2 Bond IHC System (Oracle) with the current most readily accepted Dako HercepTest (HercepTest), using both commercially validated and modified ASCO\\/CAP and UK HER2 IHC scoring guidelines. A total of 445 breast cancer samples from 3 international clinical HER2 referral centers were stained with the 2 test systems and scored in a blinded fashion by experienced pathologists. The overall agreement between the 2 tests in a 3×3 (negative, equivocal and positive) analysis shows a concordance of 86.7% and 86.3%, respectively when analyzed using commercially validated and modified ASCO\\/CAP and UK HER2 IHC scoring guidelines. There is a good concordance between the Oracle and the HercepTest. The advantages of a complete fully automated test such as the Oracle include standardization of key analytical factors and improved turn around time. The implementation of the modified ASCO\\/CAP and UK HER2 IHC scoring guidelines has minimal effect on either assay interpretation, showing that Oracle can be used as a methodology for accurately determining HER2 IHC status in formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissue.

  4. An immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization-based comparison between the Oracle HER2 Bond Immunohistochemical System, Dako HercepTest, and Vysis PathVysion HER2 FISH using both commercially validated and modified ASCO/CAP and United Kingdom HER2 IHC scoring guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Grady, Anthony; Allen, David; Happerfield, Lisa; Johnson, Nicola; Provenzano, Elena; Pinder, Sarah E; Tee, Lilian; Gu, Mai; Kay, Elaine W

    2010-12-01

    Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used as the frontline assay to determine HER2 status in invasive breast cancer patients. The aim of the study was to compare the performance of the Leica Oracle HER2 Bond IHC System (Oracle) with the current most readily accepted Dako HercepTest (HercepTest), using both commercially validated and modified ASCO/CAP and UK HER2 IHC scoring guidelines. A total of 445 breast cancer samples from 3 international clinical HER2 referral centers were stained with the 2 test systems and scored in a blinded fashion by experienced pathologists. The overall agreement between the 2 tests in a 3×3 (negative, equivocal and positive) analysis shows a concordance of 86.7% and 86.3%, respectively when analyzed using commercially validated and modified ASCO/CAP and UK HER2 IHC scoring guidelines. There is a good concordance between the Oracle and the HercepTest. The advantages of a complete fully automated test such as the Oracle include standardization of key analytical factors and improved turn around time. The implementation of the modified ASCO/CAP and UK HER2 IHC scoring guidelines has minimal effect on either assay interpretation, showing that Oracle can be used as a methodology for accurately determining HER2 IHC status in formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissue.

  5. The SystHERs registry: an observational cohort study of treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive metastatic breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tripathy, Debu; Lai, Catherine; Masaquel, Anthony; Hurvitz, Sara; Rugo, Hope S; Kaufman, Peter A; Swain, Sandra; O’Shaughnessy, Joyce; Jahanzeb, Mohammad; Mason, Ginny; Beattie, Mary; Yoo, Bongin

    2014-01-01

    Amplification of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene occurs in approximately 20% of invasive breast cancer cases and is associated with a more aggressive disease course than HER2-negative breast cancer. HER2-targeted therapies have altered the natural history of HER2-positive breast cancer, a trend that will likely further improve with the recent approval of new agents. A prospective, observational cohort study was designed and initiated to provide real-world insights into current treatment patterns, long-term survival, and patients’ experiences with initial and subsequent treatments for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The Systematic Therapies for HER2-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Study (SystHERs) is a US-based prospective observational cohort study enrolling patients ≥18 years of age with recently diagnosed HER2-positive MBC not previously treated with systemic therapy in the metastatic setting. The primary objective of the study is to identify treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in recently diagnosed patients in a variety of practice settings. Secondary objectives include comparative efficacy, safety, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Healthcare resource utilization is an exploratory end point. Tumor tissue and blood sample collection is optional. The SystHERs registry will enroll approximately 1000 patients over a 3-year period, after which the study will continue for ≥5 years, allowing for a maximum follow-up of 8 years. The treating physician will determine all care and the frequency of visits. PRO measures will be completed at study enrollment and every 90 days. Clinical data will be abstracted quarterly from patient records. The first patient was enrolled in June 2012, and preliminary descriptive data based on 25% to 30% of the final study population are expected at the end of 2013, and as of April 25, 2014, 386 patients are enrolled. SystHERs is expected to provide in-depth data on demographic

  6. A single-domain antibody-linked Fab bispecific antibody Her2-S-Fab has potent cytotoxicity against Her2-expressing tumor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Aifen; Xing, Jieyu; Li, Li; Zhou, Changhua; Dong, Bin; He, Ping; Li, Qing; Wang, Zhong

    2016-12-01

    Her2, which is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer, is one of the most studied tumor-associated antigens for cancer therapy. Anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab, has achieved significant clinical benefits in metastatic breast cancer. In this study, we describe a novel bispecific antibody Her2-S-Fab targeting Her2 by linking a single domain anti-CD16 VHH to the trastuzumab Fab. The Her2-S-Fab antibody can be efficiently expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, and drive potent cancer cell killing in HER2-overexpressing cancer cells. In xenograft model, the Her2-S-Fab suppresses tumor growth in the presence of human immune cells. Our results suggest that the bispecific Her2-S-Fab may provide a valid alternative to Her2 positive cancer therapy.

  7. ABO and Rh blood groups frequency in women with HER2 positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urun, Y; Utkan, G; Altundag, K; Arslan, O; Onur, H; Arslan, U Y; Kocer, M; Dogan, I; Senler, F C; Yalcin, B; Demirkazik, A; Akbulut, H; Icli, F

    2012-01-01

    The role of genetic factors in the development of cancer is widely accepted. Data on the role of ABO blood group and Rh factor in breast cancer is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of a possible association between HER2 (+) breast cancer in Turkish women and ABO blood groups and Rh factor. In 294 female patients with HER2 (+) breast cancer, ABO blood groups and Rh factor were examined. The relationship of blood groups with age, menopausal status, and family history of cancer, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2 status of these patients was evaluated. Blood groups distribution of 22,821 healthy blood donors was also assessed and compared with the patients' blood groups distribution. The median patient age was 47 years (range 20-80) and 56% of the patients were premenopausal. ER and PR were positive in 50 and 60% of the patients, respectively. Overall, the ABO blood group distribution of the 294 HER2 (+) breast cancer patients was similar to that of the healthy blood donors (p=0.36). Likewise there was no correlation between blood type and ER, PR and menopausal status. Rh (-) patients had more frequent family cancer history and this difference was significant for patients with blood group B Rh (-) and O Rh (-) (p = 0.04). In the present study we didn't find any relationship between HER2 status and ABO blood group and Rh factor. However, further studies with larger number of patients are needed to establish the role (if any) of blood groups in patients with breast cancer.

  8. Standardization of HER2 testing: results of an international proficiency-testing ring study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dowsett, Mitch; Hanna, Wedad M.; Kockx, Mark; Penault-Llorca, Frederique; Rüschoff, Josef; Gutjahr, Thorsten; Habben, Kai; van de Vijver, Marc J.

    2007-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity in breast cancer is a prognostic factor regarding tumor aggressiveness and a predictive factor for response to trastuzumab (Herceptin). Early and accurate HER2 testing of all breast cancer patients at primary diagnosis is essential for

  9. Validity of whole slide images for scoring HER2 chromogenic in situ hybridisation in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Janabi, Shaimaa; Horstman, Anja; van Slooten, Henk-Jan; Kuijpers, Chantal; Lai-A-Fat, Clifton; van Diest, Paul J; Jiwa, Mehdi

    2016-05-09

    Whole slide images (WSIs) have stimulated a paradigm shift from conventional to digital pathology in several applications within pathology. Due to the fact that WSIs have not yet been approved for primary diagnostics, validating their use for different diagnostic purposes is still mandatory. The aim of this study was to test the validity of WSI in assessing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status in breast cancer specimens using chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH). Ninety-six HER2 CISH slides were scored by two observers on a light microscope (400× viewing magnification) and on WSI (40× scanning magnification, one focus plane) with a minimum of 6 weeks washout period. The concordance between digital and microscopic HER2 scores was assessed. Digitally, 93/96 cases could be assessed (96.8%). Microscopic and digital evaluation of HER2 amplification status were concordant in 68/93 cases ((73.1%, 95% CI: 0.639 -0.823), κ 0.588). CISH underscoring was most noticeable in the amplified and equivocal categories while the highest level concordance was seen in cases with a normal copy number. Additionally there was a noticeable tendency to underestimate the average HER2 scores on WSI: lower in 59 and higher in 11 cases. There was no major difference in time spent for microscopic scoring (86.9 s) and digital scoring (81.7 s). There was a reasonable concordance between microscopic scoring and WSI-based scoring of HER2 copy number of CISH slides. Nevertheless, WSIs scanned on a single focal plane are insufficient to assess HER2 gene amplification status by scoring CISH due to the noticeable tendency towards digitally underestimating the number of HER2 spots. Scanning at multiple focus planes may offer better resolution for improved digital CISH spot counting. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  10. Triple-negative (ER, PgR, HER-2/neu breast cancer in Indian women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinayak W Patil

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Vinayak W Patil1, Rajeev Singhai1, Amit V Patil2, Prakash D Gurav21Department of Biochemistry, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India; 2Department of Surgery, Government Medical College, Miraj, IndiaAbstract: The aim of our study was to analyze triple-negative (TN breast cancer, which is defined as being negative for the estrogen receptor (ER, the progesterone receptor (PgR, and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu and which represents a subset of breast cancer with different biologic behavior. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic indicators of lymph node-negative TN breast cancer. Medical records were reviewed from patients with node-negative breast cancer who underwent curative surgery at Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India, from May 2007 to October 2010. Clinicopathological variables and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Among 683 patients included, 136 had TN breast cancer and 529 had non-TN breast cancer. TN breast cancer correlated with younger age (<35 years, P = 0.003 and a higher histopathologic and nuclear grade (P < 0.001. It also correlated with a molecular profile associated with biological aggressiveness: negative for Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.001, positive for the epidermal growth factor receptor (P = 0.003, and a high level of p53 (P < 0.001 and Ki-67 expression (P < 0.00. The relapse rates during the follow-up period (median 56.8 months were 14.7% for TN breast cancer and 6.6% for non-TN breast cancer (P = 0.004. Relapse-free survival (RFS was significantly shorter among patients with TN breast cancer compared with those with non-TN breast cancer: 3.5-year RFS rate 85.5% versus 94.2%, respectively; P = 0.001. On multivariate analysis, young age, close resection margin, and triple negativity were independent predictors of shorter RFS. TN breast cancer had a higher relapse rate and more aggressive clinicopathological

  11. Contribution of germline TP53 variants and assessment of HER-2 status among young breast cancer patients in Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shao Yan Lau

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS is caused by a mutation in the TP53 tumour suppressor gene. This rare hereditary condition predisposes individuals to an increased risk of cancers including breast cancer in women at a relatively young age, which accounts for nearly 25%–30% of all LFS‑associated cancers. Studies have shown that breast tumours in women with a germline TP53 deleterious variants are associated with a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2-positive phenotype. Taken together, this study aimed to investigate the contribution of germline TP53 variants and its association with tumour HER-2 status in a cohort of young women with breast cancer. Methods: From 2002 to 2017, 4048 women with breast cancer treated at University Malaya Medical Centre or Sime Darby Medical Centre participated in the Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetics Study. Of which, 87 patients were diagnosed before 30 years of age. All patients were analysed for germline TP53 single nucleotide variants, small insertions or deletions by amplicon‑based targeted sequencing and validated by Sanger sequencing. DNA from patients who tested negative for sequencing were subsequently evaluated for the presence of TP53 exon deletions or duplications by multiplex ligation‑dependent probe amplification. HER-2 status of breast tumours was defined by immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridisation and/or silver in situ hybridisation. Results: 5 distinct TP53 variants were detected in 5 individuals. 3 out of 5 TP53 variants were classified as frameshift mutations, one nonsense mutation and one in-frame duplication. Variants in other genes were detected in 17 individuals. No large genomic rearrangements were detected in the remaining 65 sequencing-negative patients. The assessment of HER-2 status will be presented. Conclusions: Our results suggest that alterations in TP53 gene were identified in approximately 5.7% (5/87 of this cohort of young women with breast

  12. Correlation between HER2 gene amplification and protein overexpression through fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in breast carcinoma patients

    OpenAIRE

    R N Makroo; Mohit Chowdhry; Manoj Kumar; Priyanka Srivastava; Richa Tyagi; Preeti Bhadauria; Sumaid Kaul; Ramesh Sarin; P K Das; Harsh Dua

    2012-01-01

    Background : In India, the incidence of breast cancer has increased in the urban population, with 1 in every 22 women diagnosed with breast cancer. It is important to know the HER2/neu gene status for a better prognostication of these patients. Aim : The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for determining HER2/neu alteration in breast carcinoma. Materials and Methods : A total of 188 histologically proven br...

  13. HER2 in Breast Cancer Stemness: A Negative Feedback Loop towards Trastuzumab Resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babak Nami

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available HER2 receptor tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in approximately 20% of all breast cancers (BCs is a poor prognosis factor and a precious target for BC therapy. Trastuzumab is approved by FDA to specifically target HER2 for treating HER2+ BC. However, about 60% of patients with HER2+ breast tumor develop de novo resistance to trastuzumab, partially due to the loss of expression of HER2 extracellular domain on their tumor cells. This is due to shedding/cleavage of HER2 by metalloproteinases (ADAMs and MMPs. HER2 shedding results in the accumulation of intracellular carboxyl-terminal HER2 (p95HER2, which is a common phenomenon in trastuzumab-resistant tumors and is suggested as a predictive marker for trastuzumab resistance. Up-regulation of the metalloproteinases is a poor prognosis factor and is commonly seen in mesenchymal-like cancer stem cells that are risen during epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT of tumor cells. HER2 cleavage during EMT can explain why secondary metastatic tumors with high percentage of mesenchymal-like cancer stem cells are mostly resistant to trastuzumab but still sensitive to lapatinib. Importantly, many studies report HER2 interaction with oncogenic/stemness signaling pathways including TGF-β/Smad, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, JAK/STAT and Hedgehog. HER2 overexpression promotes EMT and the emergence of cancer stem cell properties in BC. Increased expression and activation of metalloproteinases during EMT leads to proteolytic cleavage and shedding of HER2 receptor, which downregulates HER2 extracellular domain and eventually increases trastuzumab resistance. Here, we review the hypothesis that a negative feedback loop between HER2 and stemness signaling drives resistance of BC to trastuzumab.

  14. A systematic review of dual targeting in HER2-positive breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kümler, Iben; Tuxen, Malgorzata K; Nielsen, Dorte Lisbet

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpresed in 15-20% of all breast cancers. Treatment with trastuzumab has led to an improved outcome and prolonged survival of HER2-positive breast cancer patients and today the drug is established as standard of care in both...... the adjuvant and metastatic settings. However, trastuzumab resistance is common and a major focus in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer has been developing therapeutic agents to either potentiate the effect of trastuzumab or to target cells which have become resistant to trastuzumab. The present...... of lapatinib, pertuzumab or trastuzumab-DM1 in combination with trastuzumab in the (neo)adjuvant and metastatic settings. Furthermore, combinations of trastuzumab and drugs targeting the downstream pathway are described. CONCLUSION: Dual blockade is likely to represent a substantial advance for patients...

  15. Imaging biomarkers to predict response to anti-HER2 (ErbB2) therapy in preclinical models of breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Chirayu; Miller, Todd W.; Wyatt, Shelby K.; McKinley, Eliot T.; Olivares, Maria Graciela; Sanchez, Violeta; Nolting, Donald D.; Buck, Jason R.; Zhao, Ping; Ansari, M. Sib; Baldwin, Ronald M.; Gore, John C.; Schiff, Rachel; Arteaga, Carlos L.; Manning, H. Charles

    2010-01-01

    Purpose To evaluate non-invasive imaging methods as predictive biomarkers of response to trastuzumab in mouse models of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer. The correlation between tumor regression and molecular imaging of apoptosis, glucose metabolism, and cellular proliferation was evaluated longitudinally in responding and non-responding tumor-bearing cohorts. Experimental Design Mammary tumors from MMTV/HER2 transgenic female mice were transplanted into syngeneic female mice. BT474 human breast carcinoma cell line xenografts were grown in athymic nude mice. Tumor cell apoptosis (NIR700-Annexin-V accumulation), glucose metabolism ([18F]FDG-PET), and proliferation ([18F]FLT-PET) were evaluated throughout a bi-weekly trastuzumab regimen. Imaging metrics were validated by direct measurement of tumor size and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of cleaved caspase-3, phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) and Ki67. Results NIR700-Annexin-V accumulated significantly in trastuzumab-treated MMTV/HER2 and BT474 tumors that ultimately regressed, but not in non-responding or vehicle-treated tumors. Uptake of [18F]FDG was not affected by trastuzumab treatment in MMTV/HER2 or BT474 tumors. [18F]FLT PET imaging predicted trastuzumab response in BT474 tumors but not in MMTV/HER2 tumors, which exhibited modest uptake of [18F]FLT. Close agreement was observed between imaging metrics and IHC analysis. Conclusions Molecular imaging of apoptosis accurately predicts trastuzumab-induced regression of HER2(+) tumors and may warrant clinical exploration to predict early response to neoadjuvant trastuzumab. Trastuzumab does not appear to alter glucose metabolism substantially enough to afford [18F]FDG-PET significant predictive value in this setting. Although promising in one preclinical model, further studies are required to determine the overall value of [18F]FLT-PET as a biomarker of response to trastuzumab in HER2+ breast cancer. PMID:19584166

  16. Effect of PREDICT on chemotherapy/trastuzumab recommendations in HER2-positive patients with early-stage breast cancer

    OpenAIRE

    DOWN, SUE K.; LUCAS, OLIVIA; BENSON, JOHN R.; WISHART, GORDON C.

    2014-01-01

    PREDICT is an online prognostication tool for early-stage breast cancer, which incorporates human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) status and stratifies absolute treatment benefits for hormone therapy, chemotherapy and trastuzumab. The present study compared historical multidisciplinary team (MDT) decisions regarding adjuvant treatment with PREDICT estimates, to determine whether certain patients are being over- or undertreated, particularly when stratified by age and oestrogen-receptor (ER) ...

  17. A Comprehensive Evaluation Of HER-2/NEU In Human Breast Cancer By Immunohistochemistry And Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel Fattah, H.I.; Seif, A.A.; El Hadidi, E.S.; Mohamed, A.A.; El Shinawi, M.E.; Shabaan, M.A.M.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Accurate diagnostic assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2/neu) is essential and a prerequisite for appropriate application of the humanized anti-HER-2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) to the treatment of patients with breast cancer. The food drug administration (FDA) approved immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2/neu evaluation. IHC is the most widely applicable diagnostic modality in studying HER-2 status. FISH is used for HER2/neu assessment in cases with an equivocal IHC status (score 2+). Objectives: The aim of this study was to detect the amplification and/or expression of HER2/neu in breast cancer using FISH and IHC techniques and to evaluate these applied techniques for their potential and clinical application, with special consideration of equivocal cases by IHC (2+). Subjects and Methods: Assessment of HER2/neu gene expression was made by FISH analysis using the HER2/CEP dual color probe (Vysis) in paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 32 breast cancer patients who were grouped into stages 1+, 2+ or 3+ based on IHC (CBII monoclonal antibody), 4 were classified as IHC 0, 4 were classified as IHC 1 +, 22 were classified as the borderline group; IHC 2+, and 2 were classified as IHC 3+. ER, PR, CEA and CA15-3 were performed to all cases. Survival data was obtained from 25 patients only. Results: The cut-off suggested for HER2/neu amplification by FISH ratio was > 1.3. No statistical significance was found between HER2/neu -by either FISH or IHC- and the different prognostic parameters. The overall survival for the studied patients -in average 3 years- was 16/25 (64%). A significant statistical association was revealed between breast cancer patients’ survival outcome and HER2/neu amplification (p < 0.05) using chi square test. Conclusion: All breast cancer patients should be assessed for HER2/neu status. IHC is a well established method for assessing HER2/neu status in

  18. Dual-colour CISH is a reliable alternative to FISH for assessment of topoisomerase 2-alpha amplification in breast carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Caballero, Tomás; Prieto, Olga; Vázquez-Boquete, Angel; Gude, Francisco; Viaño, Patricia; Otero, María; Curiel, Teresa; Fernández-Rodríguez, Beatriz; Parrado, Concepción; Fraga, Máximo; Antúnez, José R

    2014-01-01

    Anthracyclines are among the most powerful antineoplastic drugs available for breast cancer treatment. Although HER2 amplification has been postulated to predict anthracycline benefit, numerous reports have demonstrated that HER2/TOP2A co-amplification is the clinically useful predictive marker of response to anthracyclines. The standard technique to evaluate gene status for target therapy selection is fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), but this technique has some disadvantages. Dual-colour chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) is an extension of the FISH protocol that allows bright-field microscopy and thus represents a user-friendly alternative to FISH. In order to evaluate whether dual-colour CISH is a reliable alternative to FISH in determining TOP2A gene amplification and to determine the frequency with which TOP2A and HER2 were co-amplified, we analysed 100 invasive breast cancer specimens (70 consecutive and 30 HER2-amplified samples) using tissue microarrays. Thus, a 99 % agreement was found between TOP2A status determined by dual-colour CISH and FISH, as well as a high degree of correlation in TOP2A ratios using both techniques. TOP2A gene amplification was present in 8.6 % of the 70 consecutive samples studied, all of which were HER2-amplified. Co-amplification of TOP2A was observed in 46.5 % of the additional 30 HER2-amplified samples (no TOP2A amplification was seen in non-amplified HER2 samples). We conclude that dual-colour CISH represents an excellent alternative to FISH for determination of TOP2A gene status in invasive breast cancer. Our results showing TOP2A amplification only in HER2-amplified cases also add to the evidence that TOP2A determination should be restricted to those cases.

  19. Neratinib: Inching up on the cure rate of HER2+ breast cancer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unni, Nisha; Sudhan, Dhivya R; Arteaga, Carlos L

    2018-05-25

    Neratinib was recently approved by FDA for extended adjuvant treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer. ExteNET trial showed improvement in invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) in the neratinib arm compared to placebo. The benefit was more pronounced in patients with ER+/HER2+ tumors, suggesting bidirectional crosstalk between the two pathways. Copyright ©2018, American Association for Cancer Research.

  20. HER-2 immunohistochemical expression as prognostic marker in high-grade T1 bladder cancer (T1G3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luca Bongiovanni

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate if the Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2 expression levels may be used as potential prognostic marker in high grade T1 blad- der cancer (T1G3 Methods: Specimens from transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT of 103 patients with high-grade T1 bladder cancer were collected. This pathologic database was reviewed. Four-year follow-up data were matched with pathologic data. Eighty-three patients entered the study. HER-2 staining was performed. Patients were grouped for HER-2 status. Statistical analysis included Kaplan Meier survival analysis and Log-rank test. Results: Pathological review of TURBT specimens confirmed high-grade T1 transitional cell bladder cancer in all patients. Median follow-up was 12 months (mean 23,5; range 3-48. Twenty-one patients (25.4% present strong HER-2 expression (3+, 28 (33.7% moderate expression (2+, 26 (33.7% weak staining (1+ and 8 (9.6% negative expression (0. Thirty- one patients of 83 (37.4% had not evidence of disease, 41 (49.4% recurred, 11 (13.2% had a progression of disease. Forty-one patients had high grade T1 recurrence. Patients with HER-2 status 0 did not showed progression of disease. Patients with HER-2 status 3+, undergoing cys- tectomy because progression of disease, had a pathological stage > pT2 and a nodal involve- ment. Median Disease-Free Survival (DFS for all patients was 12 months (DFS probability (pDFS = 49.3%; 95% CI, -11.1/+10.1. Median DFS in HER-2 groups was 8 (pDFS 37.5%; 95% CI,-28.8/+29.9, 24 (pDFS 46.1%; 95% CI,-19.5/+17.5, 20 (pDFS 46.4%; 95% CI,-18.8/+16.9 and 10 months (pDFS 47.6%; 95% CI,-21.9/+19.1 respectively in HER-2 status 0,1+,2+,3+. Log-Rank test is not statistically significant (p = 0,39. Conclusions: This study showed that HER-2 expression does not represent a prognostic mark- er of recurrence/progression of disease in high-grade T1 bladder cancer.

  1. Preclinical Evaluation of 18F-Labeled Anti-HER2 Nanobody Conjugates for Imaging HER2 Receptor Expression by Immuno-PET.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaidyanathan, Ganesan; McDougald, Darryl; Choi, Jaeyeon; Koumarianou, Eftychia; Weitzel, Douglas; Osada, Takuya; Lyerly, H Kim; Zalutsky, Michael R

    2016-06-01

    The human growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in breast as well as other types of cancer. Immuno-PET, a noninvasive imaging procedure that could assess HER2 status in both primary and metastatic lesions simultaneously, could be a valuable tool for optimizing application of HER2-targeted therapies in individual patients. Herein, we have evaluated the tumor-targeting potential of the 5F7 anti-HER2 Nanobody (single-domain antibody fragment; ∼13 kDa) after (18)F labeling by 2 methods. The 5F7 Nanobody was labeled with (18)F using the novel residualizing label N-succinimidyl 3-((4-(4-(18)F-fluorobutyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-5-(guanidinomethyl)benzoate ((18)F-SFBTMGMB; (18)F-RL-I) and also via the most commonly used (18)F protein-labeling prosthetic agent N-succinimidyl 3-(18)F-fluorobenzoate ((18)F-SFB). For comparison, 5F7 Nanobody was also labeled using the residualizing radioiodination agent N-succinimidyl 4-guanidinomethyl-3-(125)I-iodobenzoate ((125)I-SGMIB). Paired-label ((18)F/(125)I) internalization assays and biodistribution studies were performed on HER2-expressing BT474M1 breast carcinoma cells and in mice with BT474M1 subcutaneous xenografts, respectively. Small-animal PET/CT imaging of 5F7 Nanobody labeled using (18)F-RL-I also was performed. Internalization assays indicated that intracellularly retained radioactivity for (18)F-RL-I-5F7 was similar to that for coincubated (125)I-SGMIB-5F7, whereas that for (18)F-SFB-5F7 was lower than coincubated (125)I-SGMIB-5F7 and decreased with time. BT474M1 tumor uptake of (18)F-RL-I-5F7 was 28.97 ± 3.88 percentage injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) at 1 h and 36.28 ± 14.10 %ID/g at 2 h, reduced by more than 90% on blocking with trastuzumab, indicating HER2 specificity of uptake, and was also 26%-28% higher (P < 0.05) than that of (18)F-SFB-5F7. At 2 h, the tumor-to-blood ratio for (18)F-RL-I-5F7 (47.4 ± 13.1) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than for (18)F-SFB-5F7 (25.4 ± 10

  2. Her-2 neu (Cerb-B2) expression in fine needle aspiration samples of breast carcinoma: A pilot study comparing FISH, CISH and immunocytochemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapila, Kusum; Al-Awadhi, S; Francis, Im

    2011-04-01

    Breast cancers with Her-2 neu gene amplification are recognized as important markers for aggressive disease and targets which respond to therapy with trastuzumab. Her-2 neu testing on histological sections is routinely performed to select patients who may benefit from anti- Her-2 neu therapy. Few reports are available which document Her-2 neu status on fine needle aspirates (FNA). This pilot study is to document expression of Her-2 neu (Cerb-B2) on cytospin smears from FNA of patients with breast carcinoma. Twenty samples of FNA already collected for diagnostic purposes from patients with primary breast carcinoma were studied for demonstration of Her-2 neu expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC), Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) and chromogenic in-situ hybridization (CISH) on cytospin smears from FNA. Their expression was compared with tissue sections where possible. Good correlation was observed between Her-2 neu protein expression and gene amplification in cytospin smears. Three of five (60%) breast carcinomas cases with 2+ and 3+ staining on IHC showed gene amplification by FISH and CISH. Three of 7 (43%) and 5 of 7 (71%) cases negative/1+ staining on IHC did not show gene amplification by FISH and CISH respectively. Tissue sections from 10 cases with 2+ and 3+ staining for Her2neu by IHC showed gene amplification in 8 cases. Demonstration of Her-2 neu by IHC, FISH or CISH in FNA is possible and may play a role in the management of patients with advanced breast cancer or those cases where surgical resection is not advisable.

  3. Positive HER-2 protein expression in circulating prostate cells and micro-metastasis, resistant to androgen blockage but not diethylstilbestrol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nigel P Murray

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction : HER-2 expression in prostate cancer is associated with a worse prognosis and is suggested to play a role in androgen resistance. We present a study of HER-2 expression in circulating tumor cells and micrometastasis in bone marrow and the effect of androgen blockage or DES in the presence of HER-2 expressing cells. Patients and Methods : A multicenter study of men with prostate cancer, treated with surgery, radiotherapy, or observation, and with or without hormone therapy. Mononuclear cells were separated from blood and bone marrow aspirate by differential centrifugation, touch preps were made from bone marrow biopsy samples. Prostate cells were detected using anti-PSA monoclonal antibody and standard immunocytochemistry. Positive samples were processed using Herceptest® to determine HER-2 expression. After 1 year, patients were re-evaluated and the findings of HER-2 expression and PSA change compared with treatment. Results : Total 199 men participated, and 97 had a second evaluation 1 year later, frequency of HER-2 expression in circulating tumor cells and micrometastasis was 18% and 21%, respectively. There was no significant difference in HER-2 expression in the pretreatment group, after radical surgery or radiotherapy or with biochemical failure. Men with androgen blockade had a significantly higher expression of HER-2 (58% (P =0.001. Of the 97 men with a second evaluation, 56 were in the observation arm, 27 androgen blockade, and 14 DES. Use of androgen blockade or DES significantly reduced serum PSA levels in comparison with observation (P =0.001. However, there was a significant increase in HER-2 expression in patients with androgen blockade (P =0.05 en comparison with observation or DES treatment. No patient with observation or DES became HER-2 positive, en comparison 4/22 patients initially HER-2 negative became HER-2 positive with androgen blockade. Conclusions : The results suggest that HER-2 positive cells are

  4. FACTORES PRONOSTICOS DEL CANCER DE MAMA Y ONCOGEN HER2/NEU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.J. Martín Gil

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: PRONOSTIC FACTORS OF BREAST CANCER AND HER2/NEUThe breast cancer constitutes the main cause of death by cancer in women of our country. In spite of the efforts directed in campaigns of precocious detection, the incidence continues increasing in a 1% approximately per year and the rate of mortality stay constant. Therefore it is of great importance to consolidate efforts directed towards the development and use of therapeutic and diagnostic methods. The development of neoplasia is directly related to successive genetic mutations in which cellular oncogenes are involved.It is known that in case of breast cancer the Her2/neu oncogene (Human epidermal growth receptor-2 factor is amplified and/or overexpressed in approximately a 30% of the cases. The knowledge of a positive result for Her2/neu overexpression has an important value in prognosis as it is associated to a greater aggressiveness of the disease. Also, this gene can be an answer marker to certain treatments like trastuzumab. RESUMEN:El cáncer de mama (CM constituye la principal causa de muerte por cáncer en mujeres de nuestro país. A pesar de los esfuerzos dirigidos hacia las campañas de detección precoz, la incidencia sigue aumentando aproximadamente en un 1% por año y la tasa de mortalidad sigue manteniéndose constante.Es por ello de gran importancia aunar esfuerzos dirigidos al desarrollo y utilización de métodos diagnósticos y terapéuticos. El desarrollo de una neoplasia está directamente relacionado con mutaciones genéticas sucesivas en las que están involucrados oncogenes celulares.En el caso del cáncer de mama se sabe que el encogen Her2/neu (Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 está amplificado y/o sobreexpresado en aproximadamente un 30% de los casos. El conocimiento de la positividad del mismo tiene un importante valor pronóstico asociándose a una mayor agresividad de la enfermedad. Así mismo dicho gen puede ser un marcador predictivo de respuesta

  5. Prognostic value of HER-2/neu expression in epithelial ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kai; Guan, Chenan; Yu, Junhui; Jin, Xiaoxiao; Sun, Ling; Zheng, Lingzhi; Xia, Liang; Zhang, Yuquan

    2017-09-26

    This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the association between human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu) expression and survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). HER-2/neu is one of the most frequently studied molecular biological parameters in EOC, but its prognostic impact has not been fully assessed. PubMed and Embase were searched for studies that reported HER-2/neu expression and survival in patients with EOC. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and the secondary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were determined using Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model. Publication bias was investigated using funnel plots and Egger's test. A total of 56 studies (N=7212) were included in the analysis. The results showed that patients possessing HER-2/neu expression had significant disadvantages in OS (HR = 1.41; 95%CI, 1.31 to 1.51; P present study findings provided further indication that HER-2/neu expression in patients with EOC has an adverse impact on OS and PFS.

  6. Tailoring DNA vaccines: designing strategies against HER2 positive cancers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina eMarchini

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The crucial role of HER2 in epithelial transformation and its selective overexpression on cancer tissues makes it an ideal target for cancer immunotherapies such as passive immunotherapy with Trastuzumab. There are, however, a number of concerns regarding the use of monoclonal antibodies which include resistance, repeated treatments, considerable costs and side effects that make active immunotherapies against HER2 desirable alternative approaches. The efficacy of anti-HER2 DNA vaccination has been widely demonstrated in transgenic cancer-prone mice, which recapitulate several features of human breast cancers. Nonetheless, the rational design of a cancer vaccine able to trigger a long lasting immunity, and thus prevent tumor recurrence in patients, would require the understanding of how tolerance and immunosuppression regulate antitumor immune responses and, at the same time, the identification of the most immunogenic portions of the target protein. We herein retrace the findings that led to our most promising DNA vaccines that, by encoding human/rat chimeric forms of HER2, are able to circumvent peripheral tolerance. Preclinical data obtained with these chimeric DNA vaccines have provided the rationale for their use in an ongoing phase I clinical trial (EudraCT 2011-001104-34.

  7. In-111-Trastuzumab Scintigraphy in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Remains Feasible during Trastuzumab Treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gaykema, Sietske B. M.; de Jong, Johan R.; Perik, Patrick J.; Brouwers, Adrienne H.; Schroder, Carolien P.; Oude Munnink, Thijs H.; Bongaerts, Alphons H. H.; de Vries, Elisabeth G. E.; Lub-de Hooge, Marjolijn N.

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2 imaging with radiolabeled trastuzumab might support HER2-targeted therapy. It is, however, frequently questioned whether HER2 imaging is also possible during trastuzumab treatment as the receptor might be saturated. We studied the effect of trastuzumab

  8. Superiority of fluorescent in situ hybridization over immunohistochemistry in detection of HER2 gene in carcinoma of the urinary bladder associated with and without schistosomiasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammam, Olfat; Wishahi, Mohamed; Hindawi, All; Mosaad, Maha; Akl, Maha; Khalil, Heba; Al Ganzoury, Hossam; Badawy, Mohamed; Elesaily, Khaled

    2014-12-01

    HER2 is an oncogene encoding a type 1 tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor and the role of HER2 in the development of numerous types of human cancer is still understood and correlates with clinical outcome, poor prognosis, it is a predictor factor for poor response to chemotherapy. HER2 overexpression is associated with reduced disease free and overall survival. Patients who have HER2 negative expression have a poor prognosis. The aim of the present study is to explore the accuracy of detection of expression of HER2 protein by two different techniques of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and gene amplification by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The two techniques were applied to sixty two patients that included different cell types of carcinoma of the bladder, benign bilharzial lesions and control. Characteristics of the 62 patients are: 10 chronic cystitis, 19 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with schistosomiasis, 33 urothelial carcinoma (UC) schistosomal and non-schistosomal, ten healthy individuals without schistosomiasis served as controls. Gene amplification of HER2 was done using FISH and protein expression of HER2 by IHC. The study was applied on archival data of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues and patient clinical data and follow up for 5 years. Overexpression of HER2 protein was found in 30/52 (57.7%). Fourteen cases had score of 2+, and sixteen cases had score of 3+. Using FISH technique it showed more accurate detection of HER2 gene as those fourteen cases who had score of 2+ had been found to be 5 out of 14 were positive for gene over expression, the other sixteen who had score of 3+ all were positive for gene amplification. HER2 protein and gene was found to be significantly overexpressed in carcinoma of the bladder in both cell types SCC and UC with or without schistosomiasis compared to the benign lesions and control groups (P <0.01) by both techniques. There is significant increase in expression of HER2 protein and gene in SCC compared to

  9. The clinical significance of HER-2 and NF-KB expression in gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaogai; Tu, Jiancheng; Zhang, Di; Xu, Zhigao; Yang, Guifang; Gong, Lingling; Yu, Mingxia

    2013-09-01

    To investigate the expression of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER-2) and Nuclear factor-Kb (NF-KB) in gastric cancer, and the relation of these two parameters with stage, grade and metastasis of gastric cancer. The serum level of HER-2 in 75 gastric cancer patients and control participants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Expression of HER-2 and NF-KB protein were detected by immunohistochemical staining (SP method) of paraffin-embedded tissues in 75 tumors (observed group) and 22 normal gastric specimens. The clinical pathological data was statistically analyzed. Serum HER-2 level were significantly increased in study group compared with those in the control group (pKB in the observed group was 24.00% (18/75) and 62.67% (47/75) respectively. The expression of HER-2 and NF-KB were not correlated with age and gender, but with stage, grade and metastasis (pKB was correlated with tumor size (pKB had a positive rate of 94.44% (17/18), but a positive rate of 52.63% (30/57) when HER-2 was negative. Expression of NF-KB in gastric cancer tissue was correlated with HER-2 expression (X2 = 8.514, pKB in gastric cancer tissue is correlated with HER-2 expression, and they may play a very important role in the progress of gastric cancer.

  10. Her-2 neu (Cerb-B2 expression in fine needle aspiration samples of breast carcinoma: A pilot study comparing FISH, CISH and immunocytochemistry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kusum Kapila

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Breast cancers with Her-2 neu gene amplification are recognized as important markers for aggressive disease and targets which respond to therapy with trastuzumab. Her-2 neu testing on histological sections is routinely performed to select patients who may benefit from anti- Her-2 neu therapy. Few reports are available which document Her-2 neu status on fine needle aspirates (FNA. Aim: This pilot study is to document expression of Her-2 neu (Cerb-B2 on cytospin smears from FNA of patients with breast carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Twenty samples of FNA already collected for diagnostic purposes from patients with primary breast carcinoma were studied for demonstration of Her-2 neu expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC, Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH and chromogenic in-situ hybridization (CISH on cytospin smears from FNA. Their expression was compared with tissue sections where possible. Results: Good correlation was observed between Her-2 neu protein expression and gene amplification in cytospin smears. Three of five (60% breast carcinomas cases with 2+ and 3+ staining on IHC showed gene amplification by FISH and CISH. Three of 7 (43% and 5 of 7 (71% cases negative/1+ staining on IHC did not show gene amplification by FISH and CISH respectively. Tissue sections from 10 cases with 2+ and 3+ staining for Her2neu by IHC showed gene amplification in 8 cases. Conclusion: Demonstration of Her-2 neu by IHC, FISH or CISH in FNA is possible and may play a role in the management of patients with advanced breast cancer or those cases where surgical resection is not advisable.

  11. Activated HER-receptors in predicting outcome of ER-positive breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Mathilde Skaarup; Bjerre, Karsten; Lykkesfeldt, Anne Elisabeth

    2012-01-01

    ) in endocrine treated breast cancer in terms of co-expression and association with disease-free survival (DFS) in 1062 patients with ER-positive tumors. Furthermore, HER2 amplification was evaluated. We found positive associations between the phosphorylated receptors. pHER1 and pHER3 were co-expressed with one......The four human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER1-4) are involved in growth stimulation and may play a role in endocrine resistance. The receptors form dimers, leading to activation by mutual phosphorylation. Our purpose was to explore the role of the activated receptors (pHER1, pHER2, pHER3...

  12. Advantages and disadvantages of technologies for HER2 testing in breast cancer specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furrer, Daniela; Sanschagrin, François; Jacob, Simon; Diorio, Caroline

    2015-11-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) plays a central role as a prognostic and predictive marker in breast cancer specimens. Reliable HER2 evaluation is central to determine the eligibility of patients with breast cancer to targeted anti-HER2 therapies such as trastuzumab and lapatinib. Presently, several methods exist for the determination of HER2 status at different levels (protein, RNA, and DNA level). In this review, we discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of the techniques developed so far for the evaluation of HER2 status in breast cancer specimens. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is therefore not surprising that no consensus has been reached so far on which technique is the best for the determination of HER2 status. Currently, emphasis must be put on standardization of procedures, internal and external quality control assessment, and competency evaluation of already existing methods to ensure accurate, reliable, and clinically meaningful test results. Development of new robust and accurate diagnostic assays should also be encouraged. In addition, large clinical trials are warranted to identify the technique that most reliably predicts a positive response to anti-HER2 drugs. Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

  13. Upregulation of ER signaling as an adaptive mechanism of cell survival in HER2-positive breast tumors treated with anti-HER2 therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giuliano, Mario; Hu, Huizhong; Wang, Yen-Chao; Fu, Xiaoyong; Nardone, Agostina; Herrera, Sabrina; Mao, Sufeng; Contreras, Alejandro; Gutierrez, Carolina; Wang, Tao; Hilsenbeck, Susan G.; De Angelis, Carmine; Wang, Nicholas J.; Heiser, Laura M.; Gray, Joe W.; Lopez-Tarruella, Sara; Pavlick, Anne C.; Trivedi, Meghana V.; Chamness, Gary C.; Chang, Jenny C.; Osborne, C. Kent; Rimawi, Mothaffar F.; Schiff, Rachel

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To investigate the direct effect and therapeutic consequences of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeting therapy on expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and Bcl2 in preclinical models and clinical tumor samples. Experimental design Archived xenograft tumors from two preclinical models (UACC812 and MCF7/HER2-18) treated with ER and HER2-targeting therapies, and also HER2+ clinical breast cancer specimens collected in a lapatinib neoadjuvant trial (baseline and week 2 post treatment), were used. Expression levels of ER and Bcl2 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blot. The effects of Bcl2 and ER inhibition, by ABT-737 and fulvestrant respectively, were tested in parental versus lapatinib-resistant UACC812 cells in vitro. Results Expression of ER and Bcl2 was significantly increased in xenograft tumors with acquired resistance to anti-HER2 therapy, compared with untreated tumors, in both preclinical models (UACC812: ER p=0.0014; Bcl2 p<0.001. MCF7/HER2-18: ER p=0.0007; Bcl2 p=0.0306). In the neoadjuvant clinical study, lapatinib treatment for two weeks was associated with parallel upregulation of ER and Bcl2 (Spearman’s coefficient: 0.70; p=0.0002). Importantly, 18% of tumors originally ER-negative (ER−) converted to ER+ upon anti-HER2 therapy. In ER−/HER2+ MCF7/HER2-18 xenografts, ER re-expression was primarily observed in tumors responding to potent combination of anti-HER2 drugs. Estrogen deprivation added to this anti-HER2 regimen significantly delayed tumor progression (p=0.018). In the UACC812 cells, fulvestrant, but not ABT-737, was able to completely inhibit anti-HER2-resistant growth (p<0.0001). Conclusion HER2 inhibition can enhance or restore ER expression with parallel Bcl2 upregulation, representing an ER-dependent survival mechanism potentially leading to anti-HER2 resistance. PMID:26015514

  14. Mechanisms of resistance to HER family targeting antibodies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kruser, Tim J. [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States); Wheeler, Deric L., E-mail: dlwheeler@wisc.edu [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI (United States)

    2010-04-15

    The epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of receptor tyrosine kinases consists of four members: EGFR (HER1/ErbB1), HER2/neu (ErbB2), HER3 (ErbB3) and HER4 (ErbB4). Receptor activation via ligand binding leads to downstream signaling that influence cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. Aberrant expression or activity of EGFR and HER2 have been strongly linked to the etiology of several human epithelial cancers including but not limited to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and breast cancer. With this, intense efforts have been made to inhibit the activity of the EGFR and HER2 by designing antibodies against the ligand binding domains (cetuximab, panitumumab and trastuzumab) or small molecules against the tyrosine kinase domains (erlotinib, gefitinib, and lapatinib). Both approaches have shown considerable clinical promise. However, increasing evidence suggests that the majority of patients do not respond to these therapies, and those who show initial response ultimately become refractory to treatment. While mechanisms of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been extensively studied, resistance to monoclonal antibodies is less well understood, both in the laboratory and in the clinical setting. In this review, we discuss resistance to antibody-based therapies against the EGFR and HER2, similarities between these resistance profiles, and strategies to overcome resistance to HER family targeting monoclonal antibody therapy.

  15. Intrinsic Subtype and Therapeutic Response Among HER2-Positive Breast Tumors from the NCCTG (Alliance) N9831 Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez, Edith A.; Ballman, Karla V.; Mashadi-Hossein, Afshin; Tenner, Kathleen S.; Kachergus, Jennifer M.; Norton, Nadine; Necela, Brian M.; Carr, Jennifer M.; Ferree, Sean; Perou, Charles M.; Baehner, Frederick; Cheang, Maggie Chon U.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Genomic data from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive (HER2+) tumors were analyzed to assess the association between intrinsic subtype and clinical outcome in a large, well-annotated patient cohort. Methods: Samples from the NCCTG (Alliance) N9831 trial were analyzed using the Prosigna algorithm on the NanoString platform to define intrinsic subtype, risk of recurrence scores, and risk categories for 1392 HER2+ tumors. Subtypes were evaluated for recurrence-free survival (RFS) using Kaplan-Meier and Cox model analysis following adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 484) or chemotherapy plus trastuzumab (n = 908). All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Patients with HER2+ tumors from N9831 were primarily scored as HER2-enriched (72.1%). These individuals received statistically significant benefit from trastuzumab (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52 to 0.89, P = .005), as did the patients (291 of 1392) with luminal-type tumors (HR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.85, P = .01). Patients with basal-like tumors (97 of 1392) did not have statistically significantly better RFS when treated with trastuzumab and chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.53 to 2.13, P = .87). Conclusions: The majority of clinically defined HER2-positive tumors were classified as HER2-enriched or luminal using the Prosigna algorithm. Intrinsic subtype alone cannot replace conventional histopathological evaluation of HER2 status because many tumors that are classified as luminal A or luminal B will benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab if that subtype is accompanied by HER2 overexpression. However, among tumors that overexpress HER2, we speculate that assessment of intrinsic subtype may influence treatment, particularly with respect to evaluating alternative therapeutic approaches for that subset of HER2-positive tumors of the basal-like subtype. PMID:27794124

  16. A phase I open-label dose-escalation study of the anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody LJM716 in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus or head and neck and HER2-overexpressing breast or gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Kerry Lynn; Bedard, Philippe L; Lee, Se-Hoon; Lin, Chia-Chi; Tabernero, Josep; Alsina, Maria; Cohen, Ezra; Baselga, José; Blumenschein, George; Graham, Donna M; Garrido-Laguna, Ignacio; Juric, Dejan; Sharma, Sunil; Salgia, Ravi; Seroutou, Abdelkader; Tian, Xianbin; Fernandez, Rose; Morozov, Alex; Sheng, Qing; Ramkumar, Thiruvamoor; Zubel, Angela; Bang, Yung-Jue

    2017-09-12

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is important in maintaining epidermal growth factor receptor-driven cancers and mediating resistance to targeted therapy. A phase I study of anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody LJM716 was conducted with the primary objective to identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and/or recommended dose for expansion (RDE), and dosing schedule. Secondary objectives were to characterize safety/tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary antitumor activity. This open-label, dose-finding study comprised dose escalation, followed by expansion in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or esophagus, and HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer or gastric cancer. During dose escalation, patients received LJM716 intravenous once weekly (QW) or every two weeks (Q2W), in 28-day cycles. An adaptive Bayesian logistic regression model was used to guide dose escalation and establish the RDE. Exploratory pharmacodynamic tumor studies evaluated modulation of HER3 signaling. Patients received LJM716 3-40 mg/kg QW and 20 mg/kg Q2W (54 patients; 36 patients at 40 mg/kg QW). No dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were reported during dose-escalation. One patient experienced two DLTs (diarrhea, hypokalemia [both grade 3]) in the expansion phase. The RDE was 40 mg/kg QW, providing drug levels above the preclinical minimum effective concentration. One patient with gastric cancer had an unconfirmed partial response; 17/54 patients had stable disease, two lasting >30 weeks. Down-modulation of phospho-HER3 was observed in paired tumor samples. LJM716 was well tolerated; the MTD was not reached, and the RDE was 40 mg/kg QW. Further development of LJM716 is ongoing. Clinicaltrials.gov registry number NCT01598077 (registered on 4 May, 2012).

  17. Silencing of the HER2/neu Gene by siRNA Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in HER2/neu-Overexpressing Breast Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timo Faltus

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available In eukaryotes, double-stranded (ds RNA induces sequence-specific inhibition of gene expression referred to as RNA interference (RNAi. We exploited RNAi to define the role of HER2/neu in the neoplastic proliferation of human breast cancer cells. We transfected SK-BR-3, BT-474, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells with short interfering RNA (siRNA targeted against human HER2/neu and analyzed the specific inhibition of HER2/neu expression by Northern and Western blots. Transfection with HER2/neu-specific siRNA resulted in a sequence-specific decrease in HER2/neu mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, transfection with HER2/neu siRNA caused cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 in the breast cancer cell lines SKBR-3 and BT-474, consistent with a powerful RNA silencing effect. siRNA treatment resulted in an antiproliferative and apoptotic response in cells overexpressing HER2/neu, but had no influence in cells with almost no expression of HER2/neu proteins like MDA-MB-468 cells. These data indicate that HER2/neu function is essential for the proliferation of HER2/neuoverexpressing breast cancer cells. Our observations suggest that siRNA targeted against human HER2/neu may be valuable tools as anti proliferative agents that display activity against neoplastic cells at very low doses.

  18. Regional Nodal Irradiation After Breast Conserving Surgery for Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Results of a Subanalysis From the ALTTO Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gingras, Isabelle; Holmes, Eileen; De Azambuja, Evandro; Nguyen, David H A; Izquierdo, Miguel; Anne Zujewski, Jo; Inbar, Moshe; Naume, Bjorn; Tomasello, Gianluca; Gralow, Julie R; Wolff, Antonio C; Harris, Lyndsay; Gnant, Michael; Moreno-Aspitia, Alvaro; Piccart, Martine J; Azim, Hatem A

    2017-08-01

    Two randomized trials recently demonstrated that regional nodal irradiation (RNI) could reduce the risk of recurrence in early breast cancer; however, these trials were conducted in the pretrastuzumab era. Whether these results are applicable to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients treated with anti-HER2-targeted therapy is unknown. This retrospective analysis was performed on patients with node-positive breast cancer who were enrolled in the Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization phase III adjuvant trial and subjected to BCS. The primary objective of the present study was to examine the effect of RNI on disease-free survival (DFS). A multivariable cox regression analysis adjusted for number of positive lymph nodes, tumor size, grade, age, hormone receptors status, presence of macrometastatis, treatment arm, and chemotherapy timing was carried out to investigate the relationship between RNI and DFS. One thousand six hundred sixty-four HER2-positive breast cancer patients were included, of whom 878 (52.8%) had received RNI to the axillary, supraclavicular, and/or internal mammary lymph nodes. Patients in the RNI group had higher nodal burden and more frequently had tumors larger than 2 cm. At a median follow-up of 4.5 years, DFS was 84.3% in the RNI group and 88.3% in the non-RNI group. No differences in regional recurrence (0.9 % vs 0.6 %) or in overall survival (93.6% vs 95.3%) were observed between the two groups. After adjustment in multivariable analysis, there was no statistically significant association between RNI and DFS (hazard ratio = 0.96, 95% confidence interval = 0.71 to 1.29). Our analysis did not demonstrate a DFS benefit of RNI in HER2-positive, node-positive patients treated with adjuvant HER2-targeted therapy. The benefit of RNI in HER2-positive breast cancer needs further testing within randomized clinical trials. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All

  19. Results of 1-year Diet and Exercise Interventions for ER+/PR±/HER2- Breast Cancer Patients Correlated with Treatment Type.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artene, Diana V; Bordea, Cristian I; Blidaru, Alexandru

    2017-01-01

    Many breast cancer patients gain weight during chemotherapy and antiestrogenic treatment increasing recurrence, oncologic specific and all-cause mortality risks. Patients and Methods: 165 ER+/PR±/HER2- breast cancer patients under antiestrogenic treatment were randomly assigned to follow an at-home diet based on food naturally high in proteins, calcium, probiotics and prebiotics (D), or this diet and 4' isometric exercises (D+Ex) for 1 year. We measured weight (W), body (BF) and visceral fat (VF) using a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance scale on the 6th and 12th month and we correlated results with chemotherapy, surgery and antiestrogenic medication type. Results were analysed using the Friedman Test, then with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests if Friedman Test was significant. Results: Overall, the patients 1-year results show that both D+Ex and D patients obtained statistically significant weight loss and fat loss. D patients lost 3.3 kg, 3.2% BF and 1% visceral fat. D+Ex patients lost 6.5 kg, 3.3% BF and 2% visceral fat. D+Ex patients obtained statistically significance for W, BF and VF regardless of chemotherapy, surgery or antiestrogenic treatment type. D patients with mastectomy or with aromatase inhibitors lost W, BF and VF. D patients with conservatory surgery, adjuvant or both neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy and those on Tamoxifen only lost W. D patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy also lost VF. This diet is effective for ER+/PR±/HER2- breast cancer patients on antiestrogenic medication. Adding at least a minimal exercise protocol improves patients chances of counteracting sarcopenic obesity. Celsius.

  20. Her4 and Her2/neu tyrosine kinase domains dimerize and activate in a reconstituted in vitro system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monsey, John; Shen, Wei; Schlesinger, Paul; Bose, Ron

    2010-03-05

    Her4 (ErbB-4) and Her2/neu (ErbB-2) are receptor-tyrosine kinases belonging to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. Crystal structures of EGFR and Her4 kinase domains demonstrate kinase dimerization and activation through an allosteric mechanism. The kinase domains form an asymmetric dimer, where the C-lobe surface of one monomer contacts the N-lobe of the other monomer. EGFR kinase dimerization and activation in vitro was previously reported using a nickel-chelating lipid-liposome system, and we now apply this system to all other members of the EGFR family. Polyhistidine-tagged Her4, Her2/neu, and Her3 kinase domains are bound to these nickel-liposomes and are brought to high local concentration, mimicking what happens to full-length receptors in vivo following ligand binding. Addition of nickel-liposomes to Her4 kinase domain results in 40-fold activation in kinase activity and marked enhancement of C-terminal tail autophosphorylation. Activation of Her4 shows a sigmoidal dependence on kinase concentration, consistent with a cooperative process requiring kinase dimerization. Her2/neu kinase activity is also activated by nickel-liposomes, and is increased further by heterodimerization with Her3 or Her4. The ability of Her3 and Her4 to heterodimerize and activate other family members is studied in vitro. Her3 kinase domain readily activates Her2/neu but is a poor activator of Her4, which differs from the prediction made by the asymmetric dimer model. Mutation of Her3 residues (952)ENI(954) to the corresponding sequence in Her4 enhanced the ability of Her3 to activate Her4, demonstrating that sequence differences on the C-lobe surface influence the heterodimerization and activation of ErbB kinase domains.

  1. C-Cbl reverses HER2-mediated tamoxifen resistance in human breast cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wei; Xu, Ling; Che, Xiaofang; Li, Haizhou; Zhang, Ye; Song, Na; Wen, Ti; Hou, Kezuo; Yang, Yi; Zhou, Lu; Xin, Xing; Xu, Lu; Zeng, Xue; Shi, Sha; Liu, Yunpeng; Qu, Xiujuan; Teng, Yuee

    2018-05-02

    Tamoxifen is a frontline therapy for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer in premenopausal women. However, many patients develop resistance to tamoxifen, and the mechanism underlying tamoxifen resistance is not well understood. Here we examined whether ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation is involved in tamoxifen resistance. MTT and colony formation assays were used to measure cell viability and proliferation. Western blot was used to detect protein expression and protein complex formations were detected by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. SiRNA was used to examine the function of HER2 in of BT474 cells. An in vivo xenograft animal model was established to examine the role of c-Cbl in tumor growth. MTT and colony formation assay showed that BT474 cells are resistant to tamoxifen and T47D cells are sensitive to tamoxifen. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation in BT474 cells but not in T47D cells. However, ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation was detected after overexpressing HER2 in T47D cells and these cells were more resistant to tamoxifen. HER2 knockdown by siRNA in BT474 cells reduced ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation and reversed tamoxifen resistance. ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation was also disrupted and tamoxifen resistance was reversed in BT474 cells by the c-Src inhibitor PP2 and HER2 antibody trastuzumab. Nystatin, a lipid raft inhibitor, reduced ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation and partially reversed tamoxifen resistance. ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation was disrupted by overexpression of c-Cbl but not by the c-Cbl ubiquitin ligase mutant. In addition, c-Cbl could reverse tamoxifen resistance in BT474 cells, but the ubiquitin ligase mutant had no effect. The effect of c-Cbl was validated in BT474 tumor-bearing nude mice in vivo. Immunofluorescence also revealed ER-c-Src-HER2 complex formation was reduced in tumor tissues of nude mice with c-Cbl overexpression. Our results suggested that c-Cbl can reverse tamoxifen

  2. Neoadjuvant letrozole for postmenopausal estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients, a study from the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skriver, Signe Korsgaard; Laenkholm, Anne-Vibeke; Rasmussen, Birgitte Bruun

    2018-01-01

    response and 55% of patients had partial pathological response. ER at 100%, ductal subtype, tumor size below 2 cm and lymph node-negative status was significantly associated with a better response to NET and malignancy grade 3 with a poorer response to NET. One patient progressed during treatment......INTRODUCTION: Neoadjuvant endocrine treatment (NET) is a low-toxicity approach to achieve operability in locally advanced breast cancer, and to facilitate breast conservation in early breast cancer, particular in patients with highly estrogen receptor (ER) positive and HER2-negative disease. Here......, we report the results obtained by neoadjuvant letrozole in patients with early breast cancer in a phase-II design. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 119 postmenopausal women with ER-positive, HER2-negative operable breast cancer were assigned to four months of neoadjuvant letrozole before definitive...

  3. Evaluation of HER2 and p53 expression in predicting response to docetaxel-based first-line chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martini Leonardo

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 and p53 pathways may be involved in chemotherapy sensitivity and/or resistance. We explore the value of HER2 and p53 status to foretell docetaxel sensitivity in advanced breast cancer. Methods HER2 and p53 expression was analysed in 36 (median age 55 yrs; range 37-87 metastatic breast cancer patients receiving docetaxel-based first-line chemotherapy. HER2 was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH, p53 was tested by IHC. We correlate the expression of study parameters with pathologic parameters, RECIST response and survival. The standard cut-off value of 2 was used to determine HER2 overexpression while p53 mean expression level was used to divide low/high expressors tumors. Results Median time to progression and overall survival were 9 (range 2 - 54 and 20 (range 3 - 101 months. Overall response rate was 41.6%. Nine cases showed HER2 overexpression. HER2 was more frequently overexpressed in less differentiated (p = 0.05 and higher stage (p = 0.003 disease. Mean FISH-HER2 values were significantly higher in responder than in non-responder pts (8.53 ± 10.21 vs 2.50 ± 4.12, p = 0.027. Moreover, HER2 overexpression correlates with treatment response at cross-tabulation analysis (p = 0.046. p53 expression was only associated with higher stage disease (p = 0.02 but lack of any significant association with HER status or docetaxel response. No significant relation with survival was observed for any parameter. Conclusion Our data seem to indicate that FISH-determined HER2 status but not p53 is associated with docetaxel sensitivity in metastatic breast cancer.

  4. HER2 Genetic Link to Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    When researchers discovered the HER2 gene's importance to breast cancer growth, this led to the development of trastuzumab and other treatments that have improved survival for women with HER2-positive breast cancer.

  5. Age related association of her-2/neu with prognostic markers in female breast carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharif, M.A.; Mamoon, N.; Mushtaq, S.; Khadim, M.T.

    2010-01-01

    To determine age-related association of Her-2/neu expression with histological and immunohistochemical prognostic markers in female breast carcinoma. Study Design: Cross sectional, observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Histopathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from January 2004 to December 2007. Methodology: Patients of primary operable female breast carcinoma were categorised as 50 years (post-menopausal) age groups. Histological type, tumour size, tumour grade and lymph node status were determined while estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Her-2/neu expression were evaluated immunohistochemically. Association of Her-2/neu with histological and immunohistochemical prognostic markers was determined in pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal and post- menopausal age groups using the x2 test for uni- and multivariate analysis. Results: Out of the 722 patients, 230 (31.9%) were in pre-menopuasal, 221 (30.6%) in peri-menopausal and 271 (37.5%) in post-menopausal age group. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma was the pre-dominant subtype in all the age groups. Mean tumour size was 4.3 +- 2.3 cm (range 0.4-17 cm) and lymph node metastasis was seen in 310 (70.8%) cases. Her-2/neu showed association with ER in the all the age groups while PR only showed association in the peri-menopausal and postmenopausal women. Her-2/neu showed no association with tumour size, tumor grade and lymph node metastases in pre-menopausal and peri-menopausal women while it showed positive association with tumour size and lymph node metastasis in the post-menopausal women (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Majority (62%) patients were under 50 years as against the Western epidemiology. Association of Her-2/neu with ER, PR, tumour size and lymph node metastasis was age related as pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal and postmenopausal had variable expression of these prognostic markers with therapeutic and prognostic implications. (author)

  6. Ribociclib plus letrozole versus letrozole alone in patients with de novo HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer in the randomized MONALEESA-2 trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Shaughnessy, Joyce; Petrakova, Katarina; Sonke, Gabe S; Conte, Pierfranco; Arteaga, Carlos L; Cameron, David A; Hart, Lowell L; Villanueva, Cristian; Jakobsen, Erik; Beck, Joseph T; Lindquist, Deborah; Souami, Farida; Mondal, Shoubhik; Germa, Caroline; Hortobagyi, Gabriel N

    2018-02-01

    Determine the efficacy and safety of first-line ribociclib plus letrozole in patients with de novo advanced breast cancer. Postmenopausal women with HR+ , HER2- advanced breast cancer and no prior systemic therapy for advanced disease were enrolled in the Phase III MONALEESA-2 trial (NCT01958021). Patients were randomized to ribociclib (600 mg/day; 3 weeks-on/1 week-off) plus letrozole (2.5 mg/day; continuous) or placebo plus letrozole until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, death, or treatment discontinuation. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival; predefined subgroup analysis evaluated progression-free survival in patients with de novo advanced breast cancer. Secondary endpoints included safety and overall response rate. Six hundred and sixty-eight patients were enrolled, of whom 227 patients (34%; ribociclib plus letrozole vs placebo plus letrozole arm: n = 114 vs. n = 113) presented with de novo advanced breast cancer. Median progression-free survival was not reached in the ribociclib plus letrozole arm versus 16.4 months in the placebo plus letrozole arm in patients with de novo advanced breast cancer (hazard ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.75). The most common Grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia and leukopenia; incidence rates were similar to those observed in the full MONALEESA-2 population. Ribociclib dose interruptions and reductions in patients with de novo disease occurred at similar frequencies to the overall study population. Ribociclib plus letrozole improved progression-free survival vs placebo plus letrozole and was well tolerated in postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2- de novo advanced breast cancer.

  7. The HER4 isoform JM-a/CYT2 relates to improved survival in bladder cancer patients but only if the estrogen receptor α is not expressed

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, Mathias; Memon, Ashfaque Ahmed; Poulsen, Steen Seier

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Bladder cancer tumors expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 4 (HER4) demonstrate improved patient survival. HER4 isoforms and estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) can form chaperone complexes causing cell-proliferation. We wanted to explore if HER4 isoforms and ER-α could correlate...... to poor prognosis in bladder cancers. We developed mRNA assays for HER4 isoforms (JM-a, JM-b, CYT1, and CYT2) and for ER-α. Expression was analyzed in tumors from 85 bladder cancer patients and compared to overall survival (median follow-up of 5.1 years). ER-α was expressed in 38% (n = 32) of tumors...... and half of those (18/36) expressed both isoforms. JM-a/CYT2 expression correlated to improved survival (p = 0.004), but not when ER-α was co-expressed (p = 0.897). Immunohistochemistry revealed protein expression of HER4 and ER-α in tumor cells. Growth of RT4 bladder cancer cells, expressing both JM...

  8. HER2 overexpression and amplification is present in a subset of ovarian mucinous carcinomas and can be targeted with trastuzumab therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McAlpine, Jessica N; Gilks, C Blake; Miller, Dianne M; Wiegand, Kimberly C; Vang, Russell; Ronnett, Bridgett M; Adamiak, Anna; Köbel, Martin; Kalloger, Steve E; Swenerton, Kenneth D; Huntsman, David G

    2009-01-01

    The response rate of ovarian mucinous carcinomas to paclitaxel/carboplatin is low, prompting interest in targeted molecular therapies. We investigated HER2 expression and amplification, and the potential for trastuzumab therapy in this histologic subtype of ovarian cancer. HER2 status was tested in 33 mucinous carcinomas and 16 mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (BOT)). Five cases with documented recurrence and with tissue from the recurrence available for testing were analyzed to determine whether HER2 amplification status changed over time. Three prospectively identified recurrent mucinous ovarian carcinomas were assessed for HER2 amplification and patients received trastuzumab therapy with conventional chemotherapy. Amplification of HER2 was observed in 6/33 (18.2%) mucinous carcinomas and 3/16 (18.8%) BOT. HER2 amplification in primary mucinous carcinomas was not associated with an increased likelihood of recurrence. The prospectively identified recurrent mucinous carcinomas showed overexpression and amplification of HER2; one patient's tumor responded dramatically to trastuzumab in combination with conventional chemotherapy, while another patient experienced an isolated central nervous system recurrence after trastuzumab therapy. HER2 amplification is relatively common in ovarian mucinous carcinomas (6/33, 18.2%), although not of prognostic significance. Trastuzumab therapy is a treatment option for patients with mucinous carcinoma when the tumor has HER2 amplification and overexpression

  9. A definition for aggressive disease in patients with HER-2 negative metastatic breast cancer: an expert consensus of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, A; Lluch, A; Aba, E; Albanell, J; Antón, A; Álvarez, I; Ayala, F; Barnadas, A; Calvo, L; Ciruelos, E; Cortés, J; de la Haba, J; López-Vega, J M; Martínez, E; Muñoz, M; Peláez, I; Redondo, A; Rodríguez, Á; Rodríguez, C A; Ruíz, A; Llombart, A

    2017-05-01

    To converge on an expert opinion to define aggressive disease in patients with HER2-negative mBC using a modified Delphi methodology. A panel of 21 breast cancer experts from the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology agreed upon a survey which comprised 47 questions that were grouped into three sections: relevance for defining aggressive disease, aggressive disease criteria and therapeutic goals. Answers were rated using a 9-point Likert scale of relevance or agreement. Among the 88 oncologists that were invited to participate, 81 answered the first round (92%), 70 answered the second round (80%), and 67 answered the third round (76%) of the survey. There was strong agreement regarding the fact that identifying patients with aggressive disease needs to be adequately addressed to help practitioners to decide the best treatment options for patients with HER2-negative mBC. The factors that were considered to be strongly relevant to classifying patients with aggressive HER2-negative mBC were a high tumor burden, a disease-free interval of less than 12-24 months after surgery, the presence of progressive disease during adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy and having a triple-negative phenotype. The main therapeutic goals were controlling symptoms, improving quality of life and increasing the time to progression and overall survival. High tumor burden, time to recurrence after prior therapy and having a triple-negative phenotype were the prognostic factors for which the greatest consensus was found for identifying patients with aggressive HER2-negative mBC. Identifying patients with aggressive disease leads to different therapeutic approaches.

  10. Optimizing HER2 assessment in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holten-Rossing, Henrik; Møller Talman, Maj-Lis; Kristensson, Martin

    2015-01-01

    In breast cancer, analysis of HER2 expression is pivotal for treatment decision. This study aimed at comparing digital, automated image analysis with manual reading using the HER2-CONNECT algorithm (Visiopharm) in order to minimize the number of equivocal 2+ scores and the need for reflex...

  11. HER2 copy number of circulating tumour DNA functions as a biomarker to predict and monitor trastuzumab efficacy in advanced gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haixing; Li, Beifang; Liu, Zhentao; Gong, Jifang; Shao, Lin; Ren, Jun; Niu, Yunyun; Bo, Shiping; Li, Zhongwu; Lai, Yumei; Lu, Sijia; Gao, Jing; Shen, Lin

    2018-01-01

    HER2 status is significant to trastuzumab therapy; however, it is difficult to determine HER2 status accurately with few pieces of biopsies from advanced gastric cancer (AGC) due to highly heterogeneity and invasive behaviour, which will be investigated in this study. Fifty-six patients with AGC were included in this study. Primary tumour tissues and matched plasmas before medication from 36 patients were retrospectively collected, and the other 20 patients with primary tumour tissues and paired plasmas were prospectively collected. HER2 expression and amplification in 56 tumour tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and dual in situ hybridisation (DISH), and HER2 copy number in 135 circulating tumour DNAs (ctDNAs) was judged by next-generation sequencing. For tumour tissues, HER2 amplification by DISH was most commonly found in patients with HER2 score 3+by IHC. For plasmas, HER2 amplification defined as HER2 copy number >2.22 was identified in 26 of 56 patients. There was a high concordance of HER2 amplification between ctDNA and tumour tissues, suggesting that ctDNA could function as an alternative to screen HER2-targeted population. Moreover, the changes of HER2 copy number in ctDNA could efficiently monitor trastuzumab efficacy, the power of which was superior to commonly used markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA199, suggesting its potential role in clinical practice. ctDNA for HER2 analysis was strongly recommended to serve as a surrogate to screen trastuzumab-suitable population and monitor trastuzumab efficacy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Validation of the 4B5 rabbit monoclonal antibody in determining Her2/neu status in breast cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Vegt, Bert; de Bock, G.H.; Bart, J.; Zwartjes, N.G.; Wesseling, J.

    HER2 overexpression in breast cancer is associated with worse clinical outcome. To select patients for anti-Her2-based therapy immunohistochemistry is commonly performed as a first step to assess Her2 status. However, interobserver and interlaboratory variability can significantly compromise

  13. Distinct apoptotic blocks mediate resistance to panHER inhibitors in HER2+ breast cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karakas, Bahriye; Ozmay, Yeliz; Basaga, Huveyda; Gul, Ozgur; Kutuk, Ozgur

    2018-05-04

    Despite the development of novel targeted therapies, de novo or acquired chemoresistance remains a significant factor for treatment failure in breast cancer therapeutics. Neratinib and dacomitinib are irreversible panHER inhibitors, which block their autophosphorylation and downstream signaling. Moreover, neratinib and dacomitinib have been shown to activate cell death in HER2-overexpressing cell lines. Here we showed that increased MCL1 and decreased BIM and PUMA mediated resistance to neratinib in ZR-75-30 and SKBR3 cells while increased BCL-XL and BCL-2 and decreased BIM and PUMA promoted neratinib resistance in BT474 cells. Cells were also cross-resistant to dacomitinib. BH3 profiles of HER2+ breast cancer cells efficiently predicted antiapoptotic protein dependence and development of resistance to panHER inhibitors. Reactivation of ERK1/2 was primarily responsible for acquired resistance in SKBR3 and ZR-75-30 cells. Adding specific ERK1/2 inhibitor SCH772984 to neratinib or dacomitinib led to increased apoptotic response in neratinib-resistant SKBR3 and ZR-75-30 cells, but we did not detect a similar response in neratinib-resistant BT474 cells. Accordingly, suppression of BCL-2/BCL-XL by ABT-737 was required in addition to ERK1/2 inhibition for neratinib- or dacomitinib-induced apoptosis in neratinib-resistant BT474 cells. Our results showed that different mitochondrial apoptotic blocks mediated acquired panHER inhibitor resistance in HER2+ breast cancer cell lines as well as highlighted the potential of BH3 profiling assay in prediction of panHER inhibitor resistance in breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. A gene expression profile indicative of early stage HER2 targeted therapy response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Fiona; Madden, Stephen F; Clynes, Martin; Crown, John; Doolan, Padraig; Aherne, Sinéad T; O'Connor, Robert

    2013-07-01

    Efficacious application of HER2-targetting agents requires the identification of novel predictive biomarkers. Lapatinib, afatinib and neratinib are tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of HER2 and EGFR growth factor receptors. A panel of breast cancer cell lines was treated with these agents, trastuzumab, gefitinib and cytotoxic therapies and the expression pattern of a specific panel of genes using RT-PCR was investigated as a potential marker of early drug response to HER2-targeting therapies. Treatment of HER2 TKI-sensitive SKBR3 and BT474 cell lines with lapatinib, afatinib and neratinib induced an increase in the expression of RB1CC1, ERBB3, FOXO3a and NR3C1. The response directly correlated with the degree of sensitivity. This expression pattern switched from up-regulated to down-regulated in the HER2 expressing, HER2-TKI insensitive cell line MDAMB453. Expression of the CCND1 gene demonstrated an inversely proportional response to drug exposure. A similar expression pattern was observed following the treatment with both neratinib and afatinib. These patterns were retained following exposure to traztuzumab and lapatinib plus capecitabine. In contrast, gefitinib, dasatinib and epirubicin treatment resulted in a completely different expression pattern change. In these HER2-expressing cell line models, lapatinib, neratinib, afatinib and trastuzumab treatment generated a characteristic and specific gene expression response, proportionate to the sensitivity of the cell lines to the HER2 inhibitor.Characterisation of the induced changes in expression levels of these genes may therefore give a valuable, very early predictor of the likely extent and specificity of tumour HER2 inhibitor response in patients, potentially guiding more specific use of these agents.

  15. Neratinib in HER-2-positive breast cancer: results to date and clinical usefulness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Arlene

    2016-09-01

    The management of HER-2-positive breast cancer has improved significantly with the use of targeted agents to the HER-2 signaling pathway. Despite the improved survival achieved with the use of trastuzumab and chemotherapy in both the adjuvant and metastatic setting, patients may still recur or progress; whilst preclinical data demonstrate that these cancer cells remain addicted to the HER-2 oncogene. Neratinib, an oral small molecule tyrosine-kinase inhibitor has efficacy in the metastatic and adjuvant setting of patients who have previously received trastuzumab-based treatment. Diarrhea, being a class effect of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, is the most common side effect seen following neratinib administration, but recent data suggests that a prophylactic loperamide regimen can reduce the incidence of grade 3 diarrhea. Phase I through to III clinical trials of neratinib will be reviewed, with discussion of the postulated mechanism underlying diarrheal events and its management.

  16. Docosahexaenoic Acid Modulates a HER2-Associated Lipogenic Phenotype, Induces Apoptosis, and Increases Trastuzumab Action in HER2-Overexpressing Breast Carcinoma Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Ravacci, Graziela Rosa; Brentani, Maria Mitzi; Tortelli, Tharcisio Citrângulo; Torrinhas, Raquel Suzana M. M.; Santos, Jéssica Reis; Logullo, Angela Flávia; Waitzberg, Dan Linetzky

    2015-01-01

    In breast cancer, lipid metabolic alterations have been recognized as potential oncogenic stimuli that may promote malignancy. To investigate whether the oncogenic nature of lipogenesis closely depends on the overexpression of HER2 protooncogene, the normal breast cell line, HB4a, was transfected with HER2 cDNA to obtain HER2-overexpressing HB4aC5.2 cells. Both cell lines were treated with trastuzumab and docosahexaenoic acid. HER2 overexpression was accompanied by an increase in the expressi...

  17. HER2 gene amplification in patients with breast cancer with equivocal IHC results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S. Meijer (Sybren); J. Wesseling (Jelle); V.T.H.B.M. Smit (Vincent); P.M. Nederlof (Petra); J. Hooijer; H. Ruijter (Henrique); J.W. Arends (Jan Willem); M. Kliffen (Mike); J. van Gorp (Joost); L. Sterk (Lotus); M.J. Vijver (Marc )

    2011-01-01

    textabstractAims: Equivocal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein (HER2) (2+) immunohistochemistry (IHC) is subject to significant interobserver variation and poses a challenge in obtaining a definitive positive or negative test result. This equivocal test result group accounts for

  18. TIMP-1 overexpression does not affect sensitivity to HER2-targeting drugs in the HER2-gene-amplified SK-BR-3 human breast cancer cell line

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deng, Xiaohong; Fogh, Louise; Lademann, Ulrik Axel

    2013-01-01

    affect sensitivity to the HER2-targeting drugs trastuzumab and lapatinib. SK-BR-3 human breast cancer cells were stably transfected with TIMP-1, characterized with regard to TIMP-1 protein expression, proliferation, and functionality of the secreted TIMP-1, and the sensitivity to trastuzumab...... and lapatinib was studied in five selected single-cell subclones expressing TIMP-1 protein at various levels plus the parental SK-BR-3 cell line. Both trastuzumab and lapatinib reduced cell viability, as determined by MTT assay, but the sensitivity to the drugs was not associated with the expression level...... to trastuzumab and lapatinib....

  19. Neratinib: an oral, irreversible dual EGFR/HER2 inhibitor for breast and non-small cell lung cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bose, Prithviraj; Ozer, Howard

    2009-11-01

    The revolutionary success of imatinib, a specific inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase (TK) in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia ushered in the era of targeted therapies in cancer. The erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog family of receptor TKs, to which EGFR (HER1) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu TKs belong, has been implicated in a variety of cancers, and several agents that inhibit these TKs are in clinical use, with many more in various stages of development. To summarize current knowledge about neratinib (HKI-272), an oral, irreversible dual inhibitor of EGFR and HER2 and to define its future clinical role, especially in the context of related agents that are either available or in the pipeline. A Medline search using Pubmed was conducted using the keywords neratinib, HKI-272, EGFR, HER2, lapatinib, trastuzumab, erlotinib, gefitinib, cetuximab and panitumumab. Relevant abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology and San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium meetings were also reviewed. Both preclinical and human studies have shown that neratinib has promising activity in both advanced breast cancer and NSCLC with an acceptable safety profile. The data support its continued clinical development.

  20. Ganoderma tsugae Extract Inhibits Growth of HER2-Overexpressing Cancer Cells via Modulation of HER2/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han-Peng Kuo

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ganoderma, also known as Lingzhi or Reishi, has been used for medicinal purposes in Asian countries for centuries. It is a medicinal fungus with a variety of biological properties including immunomodulatory and antitumor activities. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which Ganoderma tsugae (GT, one of the most common species of Ganoderma, inhibits the proliferation of HER2-overexpressing cancer cells. Here, we show that a quality assured extract of GT (GTE inhibited the growth of HER2-overexpressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and enhanced the growth-inhibitory effect of antitumor drugs (e.g., taxol and cisplatin in these cells. We also demonstrate that GTE induced cell cycle arrest by interfering with the HER2/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, GTE curtailed the expression of the HER2 protein by modulating the transcriptional activity of the HER2 gene and the stability/degradation of the HER2 protein. In conclusion, this study suggests that GTE may be a useful adjuvant therapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer cells that highly express HER2.

  1. Relevance of deep learning to facilitate the diagnosis of HER2 status in breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenberghe, Michel E.; Scott, Marietta L. J.; Scorer, Paul W.; Söderberg, Magnus; Balcerzak, Denis; Barker, Craig

    2017-04-01

    Tissue biomarker scoring by pathologists is central to defining the appropriate therapy for patients with cancer. Yet, inter-pathologist variability in the interpretation of ambiguous cases can affect diagnostic accuracy. Modern artificial intelligence methods such as deep learning have the potential to supplement pathologist expertise to ensure constant diagnostic accuracy. We developed a computational approach based on deep learning that automatically scores HER2, a biomarker that defines patient eligibility for anti-HER2 targeted therapies in breast cancer. In a cohort of 71 breast tumour resection samples, automated scoring showed a concordance of 83% with a pathologist. The twelve discordant cases were then independently reviewed, leading to a modification of diagnosis from initial pathologist assessment for eight cases. Diagnostic discordance was found to be largely caused by perceptual differences in assessing HER2 expression due to high HER2 staining heterogeneity. This study provides evidence that deep learning aided diagnosis can facilitate clinical decision making in breast cancer by identifying cases at high risk of misdiagnosis.

  2. HER2-positive male breast cancer with thyroid cancer: an institutional report and review of literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bardhan, Pooja; Bui, Marilyn M; Minton, Susan; Loftus, Loretta; Carter, W Bradford; Laronga, Christine; Ismail-Khan, Roohi

    2012-01-01

    We report a rare finding of two male breast cancer patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who also developed thyroid cancer. We reviewed 45 male breast cancer patients treated in our institution from 2003 to 2008. Only five male breast cancer patients were HER2-positive. In reviewing the published data, we found no cases of thyroid cancer and concurrent breast cancer in men. However, breast cancer and thyroid cancer have shown close association in women. This finding therefore provokes speculation as to whether we should investigate whether women with HER2-positive breast cancer are at a higher risk for thyroid cancer. Although this observation seems to be clinically prevalent, publications are sparse in clinical research areas linking thyroid cancer to breast cancer.

  3. HER2 gene amplification in patients with breast cancer with equivocal IHC results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meijer, Sybren L.; Wesseling, Jelle; Smit, Vincent T.; Nederlof, Petra M.; Hooijer, Gerrit K. J.; Ruijter, Henrique; Arends, Jan Willem; Kliffen, Mike; van Gorp, Joost M.; Sterk, Lotus; van de Vijver, Marc J.

    2011-01-01

    Equivocal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein (HER2) (2+) immunohistochemistry (IHC) is subject to significant interobserver variation and poses a challenge in obtaining a definitive positive or negative test result. This equivocal test result group accounts for approximately 15% of all

  4. HER2 gene amplification in patients with breast cancer with equivocal IHC results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meijer, Sybren L.; Wesseling, Jelle; Smit, Vincent T.; Nederlof, Petra M.; Hooijer, Gerrit K. J.; Ruijter, Henrique; Arends, Jan Willem; Kliffen, Mike; van Gorp, Joost M.; Sterk, Lotus; van de Vijver, Marc J.

    2011-01-01

    Aims Equivocal human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein (HER2) (2+) immunohistochemistry (IHC) is subject to significant interobserver variation and poses a challenge in obtaining a definitive positive or negative test result. This equivocal test result group accounts for approximately 15%

  5. Neratinib after trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (ExteNET): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Arlene; Delaloge, Suzette; Holmes, Frankie A; Moy, Beverly; Iwata, Hiroji; Harvey, Vernon J; Robert, Nicholas J; Silovski, Tajana; Gokmen, Erhan; von Minckwitz, Gunter; Ejlertsen, Bent; Chia, Stephen K L; Mansi, Janine; Barrios, Carlos H; Gnant, Michael; Buyse, Marc; Gore, Ira; Smith, John; Harker, Graydon; Masuda, Norikazu; Petrakova, Katarina; Zotano, Angel Guerrero; Iannotti, Nicholas; Rodriguez, Gladys; Tassone, Pierfrancesco; Wong, Alvin; Bryce, Richard; Ye, Yining; Yao, Bin; Martin, Miguel

    2016-03-01

    Neratinib, an irreversible tyrosine-kinase inhibitor of HER1, HER2, and HER4, has clinical activity in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of 12 months of neratinib after trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy in patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. We did this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial at 495 centres in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and North and South America. Eligible women (aged ≥18 years, or ≥20 years in Japan) had stage 1-3 HER2-positive breast cancer and had completed neoadjuvant and adjuvant trastuzumab therapy up to 2 years before randomisation. Inclusion criteria were amended on Feb 25, 2010, to include patients with stage 2-3 HER2-positive breast cancer who had completed trastuzumab therapy up to 1 year previously. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive oral neratinib 240 mg per day or matching placebo. The randomisation sequence was generated with permuted blocks stratified by hormone receptor status (hormone receptor-positive [oestrogen or progesterone receptor-positive or both] vs hormone receptor-negative [oestrogen and progesterone receptor-negative]), nodal status (0, 1-3, or ≥4), and trastuzumab adjuvant regimen (sequentially vs concurrently with chemotherapy), then implemented centrally via an interactive voice and web-response system. Patients, investigators, and trial sponsors were masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was invasive disease-free survival, as defined in the original protocol, at 2 years after randomisation. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00878709. Between July 9, 2009, and Oct 24, 2011, we randomly assigned 2840 women to receive neratinib (n=1420) or placebo (n=1420). Median follow-up time was 24 months (IQR 20-25) in the neratinib group and 24 months (22-25) in the placebo group. At 2 year follow-up, 70

  6. Segmentation of HER2 protein overexpression in immunohistochemically stained breast cancer images using Support Vector Machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pezoa, Raquel; Salinas, Luis; Torres, Claudio; Härtel, Steffen; Maureira-Fredes, Cristián; Arce, Paola

    2016-10-01

    Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. Patient therapy is widely supported by analysis of immunohistochemically (IHC) stained tissue sections. In particular, the analysis of HER2 overexpression by immunohistochemistry helps to determine when patients are suitable to HER2-targeted treatment. Computational HER2 overexpression analysis is still an open problem and a challenging task principally because of the variability of immunohistochemistry tissue samples and the subjectivity of the specialists to assess the samples. In addition, the immunohistochemistry process can produce diverse artifacts that difficult the HER2 overexpression assessment. In this paper we study the segmentation of HER2 overexpression in IHC stained breast cancer tissue images using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. We asses the SVM performance using diverse color and texture pixel-level features including the RGB, CMYK, HSV, CIE L*a*b* color spaces, color deconvolution filter and Haralick features. We measure classification performance for three datasets containing a total of 153 IHC images that were previously labeled by a pathologist.

  7. Construction and design of CO2-laser amplifiers with self-sustained and electron-beam-controlled gas discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmid, W.E.

    1975-08-01

    Following a description of the fundamentals and of the manner of functioning of CO 2 lasers, a theoretical and experimental investigation is performed to see whether the self-sustained or the non-self-sustained gas discharge is suitable for an amplifier in a CO 2 high-power laser system. The measured results show that the excitation by non-self-sustained gas discharge is more advantageous for amplifiers. The reasons are given. (GG/LH) [de

  8. Clinical significance of assessing Her2/neu expression in gastric cancer with dual tumor tissue paraffin blocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Xiaowen; Wang, Haixing; Zeng, Haiying; Jin, Xuejuan; Sujie, Akesu; Xu, Chen; Liu, Yalan; Huang, Jie; Ji, Yuan; Tan, Yunshan; Liu, Tianshu; Hou, Yingyong; Qin, Jing; Sun, Yihong; Qin, Xinyu

    2015-06-01

    One paraffin block is routinely used for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2/neu) immunohistochemistry (IHC) assessment. Here, we investigated if picking 2 paraffin blocks for Her2/neu evaluation on 1 slide is an economical, efficient, and practical method, which may reduce false negativity of Her2/neu IHC assessment due to intratumoral heterogeneity. A total of 251 gastric cancer (GC) patients were divided into a cohort using 1 tumor tissue paraffin block (single-block group, n = 132) and a cohort using dual tumor tissue paraffin blocks (dual-block group, n = 119) when evaluating Her2/neu expression status by IHC. In dual-block group, we combined the results from 2 different paraffin blocks and used the higher one as the final score. The number of IHC 1+, 2+, and 3+ specimens in the single-block group was 31 (23.5%), 40 (30.3%), and 19 (14.4%), respectively. The combined final IHC score in the dual-block group of 1+, 2+, and 3+ was 26 (21.8%), 34 (28.6%), and 23 (19.3%), respectively. Inconsistent Her2/neu expression between blocks was found in 36 (30.3%) cases in the dual-block group. The pooled data in the single-block group and the dual-block group indicated that, when using dual blocks, the Her2/neu-positive (3+) rate of GC was higher compared to that in the single-block group. Our results implied that using dual paraffin blocks to assess Her2/neu expression of GC may help identify more patients with Her2/neu-positive GC who could benefit from targeted therapy, by reducing false-negative rate of Her2 status assessment. This is an efficient, economical, and practical method for Her2/neu evaluation of GC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. For or against adjuvant trastuzumab for pT1a-bN0M0 breast cancer patients with HER2-positive tumors: a meta-analysis of published literatures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiong Zhou

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Although the prognosis of patients with small (≤1cm tumors is generally favorable, emerging data suggests that biological behavior varies between intrinsic subtypes in such patients. Furthermore, it still remains unclear whether HER2-positive pT1a-bN0M0 patients could benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab. For further evaluation, we sought to conduct a meta-analysis so as to get a better understanding of the prognosis for HER2-positive pT1a-bN0M0 patients and their survival benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab, accordingly, offering the implications for current practice. METHODS: The PubMed database, the online proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO Annual Meetings, the online proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, and the CD proceedings of the International St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference were searched for all relevant studies published before September 2012. Relative risks (RRs were used to compare the prognosis of different intrinsic subtypes for pT1a-bN0M0 breast cancer. Analyses were also performed to estimate the association between adjuvant trastuzumab and various survival outcomes. RESULTS: With eight eligible studies identified, this meta-analysis demonstrated a deleterious effect of HER2+ phenotype on disease-free survival (DFS; RR = 3.677, 95% CI 2.606-5.189, p <0.001 and distant disease-free survival (DDFS; RR = 3.824, 95% CI 2.249-6.501, p<0.001 as compared to HR+/HER2- subgroup. However, significant difference failed to be achieved in terms of any endpoint between HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC. Besides, a marked improvement in DFS was observed with the addition of trastuzumab for HER2-positive pT1a-bN0M0 patients (RR = 0.323, 95% CI 0.191-0.547, p<0.001. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis clarifies that intrinsic subtypes might be a reliable marker to predict the prognosis in pT1a-bN0M0 breast cancer. Besides, even for such early stage HER2-positive

  10. A sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor based on in situ silver deposition for determination of serum level of HER2 in breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamsipur, Mojtaba; Emami, Mahdi; Farzin, Leila; Saber, Reza

    2018-04-30

    The sensitive quantification of Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2), as a key prognostic tumor marker, plays a critical role in screening, early diagnosis and management of breast cancer. This paper describes a sandwich-type immunoassay with silver signal enhancement strategy for highly sensitive detection of HER2. For this purpose, the target capturing step was designed by functionalization of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane coated magnetite nanoparticles with antibody (antiHER2/APTMS-Fe 3 O 4 ), as a platform bioconjugate (PB), and immobilized at a bare GCE. Then, in the presence of label-free immunosensor, the PB was covered by magnetic gold nanoparticles self-assembled with thiolated antibodies (antiHER2/Hyd@AuNPs-APTMS-Fe 3 O 4 ) containing chemically reduced silver ions, as a label bioconjugate (LB). Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship between the differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) stripping signal of silver and the logarithm of HER2 concentrations was obtained in the range of 5.0 × 10 -4 -50.0ngmL -1 (R 2 = 0.9906) with a detection limit of 2.0 × 10 -5 ngmL -1 . The effectiveness of this protocol was evaluated experimentally through employing of designed immunosensor for detection of the serum level of tumor marker. The good consistency of the results with those obtained by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) conventional method (p-value of < 0.05) showed that this immunosensor can be applied for the testing of HER2 in clinical samples of breast cancer patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. HER2 and TOP2A as predictive markers for anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimens as adjuvant treatment of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of individual patient data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Di Leo, Angelo; Desmedt, Christine; Bartlett, John M S

    2011-01-01

    Prediction of response to anthracycline-based therapy for breast cancer is challenging. We aimed to assess the value of HER2 and TOP2A as predictive markers of response to anthracycline-based adjuvant therapy in patients with early breast cancer....

  12. Immuno-PET Imaging of HER3 in a Model in which HER3 Signaling Plays a Critical Role.

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    Qinghua Yuan

    Full Text Available HER3 is overexpressed in various carcinomas including colorectal cancer (CRC, which is associated with poor prognosis, and is involved in the development of therapy resistance. Thus, an in vivo imaging technique is needed to evaluate the expression of HER3, an important therapeutic and diagnostic target. Here, we report successful HER3 PET imaging using a newly generated anti-human HER3 monoclonal antibody, Mab#58, and a mouse model of a HER3-overexpressing xenograft tumor. Furthermore, we assessed the role of HER3 signaling in CRC cancer tissue-originated spheroid (CTOS and applied HER3 imaging to detect endogenous HER3 in CTOS-derived xenografts. Cell binding assays of 89Zr-labeled Mab#58 using the HER3-overexpressing cell line HER3/RH7777 demonstrated that [89Zr]Mab#58 specifically bound to HER3/RH7777 cells (Kd = 2.7 nM. In vivo biodistribution study in mice bearing HER3/RH7777 and its parent cell xenografts showed that tumor accumulation of [89Zr]Mab#58 in HER3/RH7777 xenografts was significantly higher than that in the control from day 1 to day 4, tending to increase from day 1 to day 4 and reaching 12.2 ± 4.5%ID/g. Radioactivity in other tissues, including the control xenograft, decreased or remained unchanged from day 1 to day 6. Positron emission tomography (PET in the same model enabled clear visualization of HER3/RH7777 xenografts but not of RH7777 xenografts. CTOS growth assay and signaling assay revealed that CRC CTOS were dependent on HER3 signaling for their growth. In PET studies of mice bearing a CRC CTOS xenograft, the tumor was clearly visualized with [89Zr]Mab#58 but not with the 89Zr-labeled control antibody. Thus, tumor expression of HER3 was successfully visualized by PET with 89Zr-labeled anti-HER3 antibody in CTOS xenograft-bearing mice, a model that retains the properties of the patient tumor. Non-invasive targeting of HER3 by antibodies is feasible, and it is expected to be useful for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

  13. Intrinsic Subtype and Therapeutic Response Among HER2-Positive Breaty st Tumors from the NCCTG (Alliance) N9831 Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez, Edith A; Ballman, Karla V; Mashadi-Hossein, Afshin; Tenner, Kathleen S; Kachergus, Jennifer M; Norton, Nadine; Necela, Brian M; Carr, Jennifer M; Ferree, Sean; Perou, Charles M; Baehner, Frederick; Cheang, Maggie Chon U; Thompson, E Aubrey

    2017-02-01

    Genomic data from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) tumors were analyzed to assess the association between intrinsic subtype and clinical outcome in a large, well-annotated patient cohort. Samples from the NCCTG (Alliance) N9831 trial were analyzed using the Prosigna algorithm on the NanoString platform to define intrinsic subtype, risk of recurrence scores, and risk categories for 1392 HER2+ tumors. Subtypes were evaluated for recurrence-free survival (RFS) using Kaplan-Meier and Cox model analysis following adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 484) or chemotherapy plus trastuzumab (n = 908). All statistical tests were two-sided. Patients with HER2+ tumors from N9831 were primarily scored as HER2-enriched (72.1%). These individuals received statistically significant benefit from trastuzumab (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52 to 0.89, P = .005), as did the patients (291 of 1392) with luminal-type tumors (HR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.85, P = .01). Patients with basal-like tumors (97 of 1392) did not have statistically significantly better RFS when treated with trastuzumab and chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.53 to 2.13, P = .87). The majority of clinically defined HER2-positive tumors were classified as HER2-enriched or luminal using the Prosigna algorithm. Intrinsic subtype alone cannot replace conventional histopathological evaluation of HER2 status because many tumors that are classified as luminal A or luminal B will benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab if that subtype is accompanied by HER2 overexpression. However, among tumors that overexpress HER2, we speculate that assessment of intrinsic subtype may influence treatment, particularly with respect to evaluating alternative therapeutic approaches for that subset of HER2-positive tumors of the basal-like subtype. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions

  14. A Qualitative Study Comparing the Assay Performance Characteristics Between the 2007 and the 2013 American Society for Clinical Oncology and College of American Pathologists HER2 Scoring Methods in Mucinous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chi-Kuan; Lee, Ming-Yung; Lin, Wea-Lung; Wang, Yu-Ting; Han, Chih-Ping; Yu, Cheng-Ping; Chao, Wan-Ru

    2014-01-01

    Abstract The remarkable success of trastuzumab and other newly developed anti-HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) therapies in breast, gastric, or gastroesophageal junction cancer patients has supported us to investigate the HER2 status and its possible therapeutic implication in mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, there is currently no standardization of HER2 scoring criteria in mucinous EOC. In this study, we aimed to compare both the assay performance characteristics of the 2007 and the 2013 American Society for Clinical Oncology and College of American Pathologists scoring methods. Forty-nine tissue microarray samples of mucinous EOC from Asian women were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) tests using the 2007 and the 2013 criteria, respectively. The overall concordance between IHC and FISH by the 2007 criteria was 97.92 % (kappa = 0.921), and that by the 2013 criteria was 100% (kappa = 1.000). The percentage of Her2 FISH-amplified cases showed an increasing trend significantly through their corresponding HER2 IHC ordinals by the 2007 and the 2013 criteria, respectively (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). After excluding equivocal cases, the specificity (100%) and positive predictive value (100%) were unchanged under either the 2007 or the 2013 criteria. The sensitivity (100%), negative predictive value (NPV) (100%), and accuracy (100%) of HER2 IHC were higher under the 2013 criteria than those (sensitivity 87.5%, NPV 97.6%, and accuracy 97.9%) under the 2007 criteria. Of the total 49 cases, the number (n = 4) of HER2 IHC equivocal results under the 2013 criteria was 4-fold higher than that (n = 1) under the 2007 criteria (8.16% vs 2.04%). Conclusively, if first tested by IHC, the 2013 criteria caused more equivocal HER2 IHC cases to be referred to Her2 FISH testing than the 2007 criteria. That decreased the false-negative rate of HER2 status and increased the detection

  15. Role of cannabinoid receptor CB2 in HER2 pro-oncogenic signaling in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Gómez, Eduardo; Andradas, Clara; Blasco-Benito, Sandra; Caffarel, María M; García-Taboada, Elena; Villa-Morales, María; Moreno, Estefanía; Hamann, Sigrid; Martín-Villar, Ester; Flores, Juana M; Wenners, Antonia; Alkatout, Ibrahim; Klapper, Wolfram; Röcken, Christoph; Bronsert, Peter; Stickeler, Elmar; Staebler, Annette; Bauer, Maret; Arnold, Norbert; Soriano, Joaquim; Pérez-Martínez, Manuel; Megías, Diego; Moreno-Bueno, Gema; Ortega-Gutiérrez, Silvia; Artola, Marta; Vázquez-Villa, Henar; Quintanilla, Miguel; Fernández-Piqueras, José; Canela, Enric I; McCormick, Peter J; Guzmán, Manuel; Sánchez, Cristina

    2015-06-01

    Pharmacological activation of cannabinoid receptors elicits antitumoral responses in different cancer models. However, the biological role of these receptors in tumor physio-pathology is still unknown. We analyzed CB2 cannabinoid receptor protein expression in two series of 166 and 483 breast tumor samples operated in the University Hospitals of Kiel, Tübingen, and Freiburg between 1997 and 2010 and CB2 mRNA expression in previously published DNA microarray datasets. The role of CB2 in oncogenesis was studied by generating a mouse line that expresses the human V-Erb-B2 Avian Erythroblastic Leukemia Viral Oncogene Homolog 2 (HER2) rat ortholog (neu) and lacks CB2 and by a variety of biochemical and cell biology approaches in human breast cancer cells in culture and in vivo, upon modulation of CB2 expression by si/shRNAs and overexpression plasmids. CB2-HER2 molecular interaction was studied by colocalization, coimmunoprecipitation, and proximity ligation assays. Statistical tests were two-sided. We show an association between elevated CB2 expression in HER2+ breast tumors and poor patient prognosis (decreased overall survival, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.09 to 0.71, P = .009) and higher probability to suffer local recurrence (HR = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.049 to 0.54, P = .003) and to develop distant metastases (HR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.75, P = .009). We also demonstrate that genetic inactivation of CB2 impairs tumor generation and progression in MMTV-neu mice. Moreover, we show that HER2 upregulates CB2 expression by activating the transcription factor ELK1 via the ERK cascade and that an increased CB2 expression activates the HER2 pro-oncogenic signaling at the level of the tyrosine kinase c-SRC. Finally, we show HER2 and CB2 form heteromers in cancer cells. Our findings reveal an unprecedented role of CB2 as a pivotal regulator of HER2 pro-oncogenic signaling in breast cancer, and they suggest that CB2 may be a biomarker with

  16. Bright-field in situ hybridization for HER2 gene amplification in breast cancer using tissue microarrays: correlation between chromogenic (CISH) and automated silver-enhanced (SISH) methods with patient outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Glenn D; Jones, Mark A; Beadle, Geoffrey F; Stein, Sandra R

    2009-06-01

    HER2 gene amplification or overexpression occurs in 15% to 25% of breast cancers and has implications for treatment and prognosis. The most commonly used methods for HER2 testing are fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry. FISH is considered to be the reference standard and more accurately predicts response to trastuzumab, but is technically demanding, expensive, and requires specialized equipment. In situ hybridization is required to be eligible for adjuvant treatment with trastuzumab in Australia. Bright-field in situ hybridization is an alternative to FISH and uses a combination of in situ methodology and a peroxidase-mediated chromogenic substrate such as diaminobenzidine [chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH)] or multimer technology coupled with enzyme metallography [silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH)] to create a marker visible under bright-field microscopy. CISH was introduced into diagnostic testing in Australia in October 2006. SISH methodology is a more recent introduction into the testing repertoire. An evaluation of CISH and SISH performance to assess patient outcome were performed using tissue microarrays. Tissue microarrays were constructed in duplicate using material from 593 patients with invasive breast carcinoma and assessed using CISH and SISH. Gene amplification was assessed using the American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline and Australian HER2 Advisory Board criteria (single probe: diploid, 1 to 2.5 copies/nucleus; polysomy >2.5 to 4 copies/nucleus; equivocal, >4 to 6 copies/nucleus; low-level amplification, >6 to 10 copies/nucleus and high-level amplification >10 copies/nucleus; dual probe HER2/CHR17 ratio: nonamplified 2.2). Results were informative for 337 tissue cores comprising 230 patient samples. Concordance rates were 96% for HER2 single probe CISH and SISH and 95.5% for single probe CISH and dual probe HER2/CHR17 SISH. Both bright-field methods correlated

  17. Expression of PAM50 Genes in Lung Cancer: Evidence that Interactions between Hormone Receptors and HER2/HER3 Contribute to Poor Outcome

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    Jill M. Siegfried

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs frequently express estrogen receptor (ER β, and estrogen signaling is active in many lung tumors. We investigated the ability of genes contained in the prediction analysis of microarray 50 (PAM50 breast cancer risk predictor gene signature to provide prognostic information in NSCLC. Supervised principal component analysis of mRNA expression data was used to evaluate the ability of the PAM50 panel to provide prognostic information in a stage I NSCLC cohort, in an all-stage NSCLC cohort, and in The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine status of ERβ and other proteins in lung tumor tissue. Associations with prognosis were observed in the stage I cohort. Cross-validation identified seven genes that, when analyzed together, consistently showed survival associations. In pathway analysis, the seven-gene panel described one network containing the ER and progesterone receptor, as well as human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2/HER3 and neuregulin-1. NSCLC cases also showed a significant association between ERβ and HER2 protein expression. Cases positive for HER2 expression were more likely to express HER3, and ERβ-positive cases were less likely to be both HER2 and HER3 negative. Prognostic ability of genes in the PAM50 panel was verified in an ERβ-positive cohort representing all NSCLC stages. In The Cancer Genome Atlas data sets, the PAM50 gene set was prognostic in both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, whereas the seven-gene panel was prognostic only in squamous cell carcinoma. Genes in the PAM50 panel, including those linking ER and HER2, identify lung cancer patients at risk for poor outcome, especially among ERβ-positive cases and squamous cell carcinoma.

  18. Prognostic and predictive values of EGFR overexpression and EGFR copy number alteration in HER2-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, H J; Seo, A N; Kim, E J; Jang, M H; Kim, Y J; Kim, J H; Kim, S-W; Ryu, H S; Park, I A; Im, S-A; Gong, G; Jung, K H; Kim, H J; Park, S Y

    2015-01-06

    Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in a subset of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancers, and coexpression of HER2 and EGFR has been reported to be associated with poor clinical outcome. Moreover, interaction between HER2 and EGFR has been suggested to be a possible basis for trastuzumab resistance. We analysed the clinical significance of EGFR overexpression and EGFR gene copy number alterations in 242 HER2-positive primary breast cancers. In addition, we examined the correlations between EGFR overexpression, trastuzumab response and clinical outcome in 447 primary, and 112 metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated by trastuzumab. Of the 242 primary cases, the level of EGFR overexpression was 2+ in 12.7% and 3+ in 11.8%. High EGFR gene copy number was detected in 10.3%. Epidermal growth factor receptor overexpression was associated with hormone receptor negativity and high Ki-67 proliferation index. In survival analyses, EGFR overexpression, but not high EGFR copy number, was associated with poor disease-free survival in all patients, and in the subgroup not receiving adjuvant trastuzumab. In 447 HER2-positive primary breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant trastuzumab, EGFR overexpression was also an independent poor prognostic factor. However, EGFR overexpression was not associated with trastuzumab response, progression-free survival or overall survival in the metastatic setting. Epidermal growth factor receptor overexpression, but not high EGFR copy number, is a poor prognostic factor in HER2-positive primary breast cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor overexpression is a predictive factor for trastuzumab response in HER2-positive primary breast cancer, but not in metastatic breast cancer.

  19. A FISH-based method for assessment of HER-2 amplification status in breast cancer circulating tumor cells following CellSearch isolation

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    Frithiof H

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Henrik Frithiof,1 Kristina Aaltonen,1 Lisa Rydén2,3 1Division of Oncology and Pathology, 2Division of Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, 3Department of Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden Introduction: Amplification of the HER-2/neu (HER-2 proto-oncogene occurs in 10%–15% of primary breast cancer, leading to an activated HER-2 receptor, augmenting growth of cancer cells. Tumor classification is determined in primary tumor tissue and metastatic biopsies. However, malignant cells tend to alter their phenotype during disease progression. Circulating tumor cell (CTC analysis may serve as an alternative to repeated biopsies. The Food and Drug Administration-approved CellSearch system allows determination of the HER-2 protein, but not of the HER-2 gene. The aim of this study was to optimize a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH-based method to quantitatively determine HER-2 amplification in breast cancer CTCs following CellSearch-based isolation and verify the method in patient samples. Methods: Using healthy donor blood spiked with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2-positive breast cancer cell lines, SKBr-3 and BT-474, and a corresponding negative control (the HER-2-negative MCF-7 cell line, an in vitro CTC model system was designed. Following isolation in the CellSearch system, CTC samples were further enriched and fixed on microscope slides. Immunocytochemical staining with cytokeratin and 4',6-diamidino-2'-phenylindole dihydrochloride identified CTCs under a fluorescence microscope. A FISH-based procedure was optimized by applying the HER2 IQFISH pharmDx assay for assessment of HER-2 amplification status in breast cancer CTCs. Results: A method for defining the presence of HER-2 amplification in single breast cancer CTCs after CellSearch isolation was established using cell lines as positive and negative controls. The method was validated in blood from breast cancer patients

  20. A Study on BRCA1/2 Mutations, Hormone Status and HER-2 Status in Korean Women with Early-onset Breast Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Doo Ho; Jin, So Young; Lee, Dong Wha; Kim, Eun Seog; Kim, Yong Ho

    2008-01-01

    Women with breast cancer diagnosed at an age of 40 years or younger have a greater prevalence of germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations than the prevalence of women with breast cancer diagnosed at older ages. Several immunohistochemical characteristics have been identified in breast cancers from studies of Caucasian women with BRCA1/2 mutations having familial or early-onset breast cancers. The aim of this study is to determine whether early-onset breast cancer in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers, who were not selected from a family history, could be distinguished by the use of immunohistochemical methods and could be distinguished from breast cancer in women of a similar age without a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. We also analyzed the prognostic difference between BRCA1/2 related and BRCA1/2 non-related patients by the use of univariate and multivariate analysis. Breast cancer tissue specimens from Korean women with early-onset breast cancers were studied using a tumor tissue microarray. Immunohistochemical staining of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER-2, as well as the histology and grade of these specimens, were compared. The prognostic impact of immunohistochemical and histological factors as well as the BRCA1/2 mutation status was investigated separately. There were 14 cases and 16 deleterious BRCA1/2 mutations among 101 patients tested. A family history (4/14) and bilateral breast cancers (3/9) were high risk factors for BRCA1/2 mutations. BRCA1/2- associated cancers demonstrated more expression of ER-negative (19.4% versus 5.1%, p=0.038) and HER-2 negative than BRCA1/2 negative tumors, especially for tumors with BRCA1 tumors The BRCA1/2 mutation rate for patients with triple negative tumors (negative expression of ER, PR and HER-2) was 24.2%. Tumor size, nodal status, and HER-2 expression status were significantly associated with disease free survival, as determined by univariate and multivariate analysis, but the BRCA1/2 status was

  1. Chromogenic in situ hybridization compared with other approaches to evaluate HER2/neu status in breast carcinomas

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    Rosa, F.E.; Santos, R.M. [Departamento de Patologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP (Brazil); Rogatto, S.R. [Departamento de Urologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP (Brazil); Hospital A.C. Camargo, CIPE, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Domingues, M.A.C. [Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP (Brazil)

    2013-03-19

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has been evaluated in breast cancer patients to identify those most likely to benefit from herceptin-targeted therapy. HER2 amplification, detected in 20-30% of invasive breast tumors, is associated with reduced survival and metastasis. The most frequently used technique for evaluating HER2 protein status as a routine procedure is immunohistochemistry (IHC). HER2 copy number alterations have also been evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in moderate immunoexpression (IHC 2+) cases. An alternative procedure to evaluate gene amplification is chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), which has some advantages over FISH, including the correlation between HER2 status and morphological features. Other methodologies have also been used, such as silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH) and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, to determine the number of HER2 gene copies and expression, respectively. Here we will present a short and comprehensive review of the current advances concerning HER2 evaluation in human breast cancer.

  2. Chromogenic in situ hybridization compared with other approaches to evaluate HER2/neu status in breast carcinomas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosa, F.E.; Santos, R.M.; Rogatto, S.R.; Domingues, M.A.C.

    2013-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has been evaluated in breast cancer patients to identify those most likely to benefit from herceptin-targeted therapy. HER2 amplification, detected in 20-30% of invasive breast tumors, is associated with reduced survival and metastasis. The most frequently used technique for evaluating HER2 protein status as a routine procedure is immunohistochemistry (IHC). HER2 copy number alterations have also been evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in moderate immunoexpression (IHC 2+) cases. An alternative procedure to evaluate gene amplification is chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), which has some advantages over FISH, including the correlation between HER2 status and morphological features. Other methodologies have also been used, such as silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH) and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, to determine the number of HER2 gene copies and expression, respectively. Here we will present a short and comprehensive review of the current advances concerning HER2 evaluation in human breast cancer. PMID:23558859

  3. Chromogenic in situ hybridization compared with other approaches to evaluate HER2/neu status in breast carcinomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosa, F.E.; Santos, R.M.; Rogatto, S.R.; Domingues, M.A.C.

    2013-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has been evaluated in breast cancer patients to identify those most likely to benefit from herceptin-targeted therapy. HER2 amplification, detected in 20-30% of invasive breast tumors, is associated with reduced survival and metastasis. The most frequently used technique for evaluating HER2 protein status as a routine procedure is immunohistochemistry (IHC). HER2 copy number alterations have also been evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in moderate immunoexpression (IHC 2+) cases. An alternative procedure to evaluate gene amplification is chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), which has some advantages over FISH, including the correlation between HER2 status and morphological features. Other methodologies have also been used, such as silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH) and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, to determine the number of HER2 gene copies and expression, respectively. Here we will present a short and comprehensive review of the current advances concerning HER2 evaluation in human breast cancer

  4. Genomic activation of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes in a significant proportion of invasive epithelial ovarian cancers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghislain Vanessa

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The status of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes has not been fully defined in ovarian cancer. An integrated analysis of both genes could help define the proportion of patients that would potentially benefit from targeted therapies. Methods We determined the tumour mutation status of the entire tyrosine kinase (TK domain of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes in a cohort of 52 patients with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer as well as the gene copy number and protein expression of both genes in 31 of these patients by DGGE and direct sequecing, immunohistochemistry and Fluorescent in Situ Hybridisation (FISH. Results The EGFR was expressed in 59% of the cases, with a 2+/3+ staining intensity in 38%. HER2-neu expression was found in 35%, with a 2/3+ staining in 18%. No mutations were found in exons 18–24 of the TK domains of EGFR and HER2-neu. High polysomy of the EGFR gene was observed in 13% of the invasive epthelial cancers and amplification of the HER2-neu gene was found in 10% and correlated with a high expression level by immunohistochemistry. Mutations within the tyrosine kinase domain were not found in the entire TK domain of both genes, but have been found in very rare cases by others. Conclusion Genomic alteration of the HER2-neu and EGFR genes is frequent (25% in ovarian cancer. EGFR/HER2-neu targeted therapies should be investigated prospectively and specifically in that subset of patients.

  5. Large palpable ductal carcinoma in situ is Her-2 positive with high nuclear grade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monabati, Ahmad; Sokouti, Ali-Reza; Noori, Sadat Noori; Safaei, Akbar; Talei, Abd-Rasul; Omidvari, Shapoor; Azarpira, Negar

    2015-01-01

    Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is a heterogeneous group with variable clinical presentation. The exact molecular mechanism is not known why some ductal carcinomas may reach to such a large size but still remains in situ. Although, molecular classification of DCIS lesions and nuclear grading are important for identification of more aggressive lesions but it is not sufficient. Our aim was to examine the expression pattern of immunohistochemical (IHC) markers of ER, PR, HER-2 in palpable DCIS lesions and compare with clinicopathological findings. Our center is referral hospital from South of Iran. Samples were obtained from fifty four patients with a diagnosis of palpable DCIS. Equivocal (2+) case in HER-2 IHC testing was more characterized by chromogenic in situ hybridization. The positive frequency of HER2, ER, and PR was 92%, 48%, and 37% respectively. Palpable DCIS lesions were significantly more HER-2 positive (92%). The DCIS cases were more likely to be of high nuclear grade (grade III) and Her-2 positive cases were more likely to be of high nuclear grade than intermediate grade. All ER negative tumors had high nuclear grade. The Her-2 positivity is suggested as the most important factor responsible for marked in situ proliferation and production of palpable mass.

  6. Tumor-Targeting Salmonella typhimurium A1-R in Combination with Trastuzumab Eradicates HER-2-Positive Cervical Cancer Cells in Patient-Derived Mouse Models.

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    Yukihiko Hiroshima

    Full Text Available We have previously developed mouse models of HER-2-positive cervical cancer. Tumors in nude mice had histological structures similar to the original tumor and were stained by anti-HER-2 antibody in the same pattern as the patient's cancer. We have also previously developed tumor-targeting Salmonella typhimurium A1-R and have demonstrated its efficacy against patient-derived tumor mouse models, both alone and in combination. In the current study, we determined the efficacy of S. typhimurium A1-R in combination with trastuzumab on a patient-cancer nude-mouse model of HER-2 positive cervical cancer. Mice were randomized to 5 groups and treated as follows: (1 no treatment; (2 carboplatinum (30 mg/kg, ip, weekly, 5 weeks; (3 trastuzumab (20 mg/kg, ip, weekly, 5 weeks; (4 S. typhimurium A1-R (5 × 107 CFU/body, ip, weekly, 5 weeks; (5 S. typhimurium A1-R (5 × 107 CFU/body, ip, weekly, 5 weeks + trastuzumab (20 mg/kg, ip, weekly, 5 weeks. All regimens had significant efficacy compared to the untreated mice. The relative tumor volume of S. typhimurium A1-R + trastuzumab-treated mice was smaller compared to trastuzumab alone (p = 0.007 and S. typhimurium A1-R alone (p = 0.039. No significant body weight loss was found compared to the no treatment group except for carboplatinum-treated mice (p = 0.021. Upon histological examination, viable tumor cells were not detected, and replaced by stromal cells in the tumors treated with S. typhimurium A1-R + trastuzumab. The results of the present study suggest that S. typhimurium A1-R and trastuzumab in combination are highly effective against HER-2-expressing cervical cancer.

  7. Refinement of immunohistologic parameters for Her2/neu scoring validation by FISH and CISH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Anthony S-Y; Formby, Mark; Haffajee, Zenobia; Clarke, Megan; Morey, Adrienne

    2006-12-01

    The conventional method of scoring Her2/neu immunostaining is recognized to result in a high false-positive rate among 2+ cases when compared with results obtained with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); however, costs and convenience dictates that immunohistochemistry remains the screening test for Her2/neu status in patients with breast cancer. We describe refined criteria for scoring of Her2/neu on the basis of anatomic localization rather than the subjective assessment of intensity. The presence of a circumferential tram track pattern that results from the staining of apposing cell membranes in >25% of the tumor cells was necessary for a 3+ score (Her2/neu overexpressed) and the presence of the tram track pattern in CISH testing in selected cases from the other categories validated the revised scoring method. These criteria reduced the numbers of equivocal staining cases that required FISH testing.

  8. Evaluation of HER-2/neu status in breast cancer specimens using immunohistochemistry (IHC) & fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goud, Kalal Iravathy; Dayakar, Seetha; Vijayalaxmi, Kolanupaka; Babu, Saidam Jangu; Reddy, P Vijay Anand

    2012-03-01

    Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is increasingly being recognized as the most accurate and predictive test for HER 2/neu gene amplification and response to therapy in breast cancer. In the present study we investigated HER-2/neu gene amplification by FISH in breast carcinoma tissue specimens and compared the results with that of immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. A total of 90 breast carcinoma tissue samples were used for immunohistochemical (IHC) and FISH analysis. IHC was performed by using mouse monoclonal antibody to the intracellular domain of HER-2/neu protein. Each slide was scored in a blinded fashion by two pathologists according to the manufacturer's recommended criteria. FISH analysis was performed on paraffin embedded breast tumour tissue sections. The polysomy for centromere 17 (Spec green signal) was read as green signals less than 4 as moderate polysomy, and more than 4 as highly polysomy. Thirty of the 90 patients had negative results by IHC and FISH. Of the 28 patients with the score of 2+ by IHC, 20 were FISH positive for HER-2/neu gene amplification, three were FISH negative and five patients showed equivocal (1.8-2.2) results by FISH. These five cases were retested for IHC and FISH on different paraffin embedded tissue blocks, and all five were found positive for HER-2/neu gene amplification. Twenty five patients with the score of 3+ by IHC were FISH positive for HER-2/neu gene amplification (>2.2). Seven cases with the score of 3+ by IHC were FISH negative for HER-2/neu gene amplification (>2.2), and showed polysomy of chromosome number 17 high polysomy > 4. Our results indicated that HER-2/neu status by FISH should be performed in all cases of breast tumour with a 2+ score by IHC. Cases demonstrating a 3+ score by IHC may be subjected to FISH to rule out polysomy of chromosome 17 which could be falsely interpreted as HER-2/neu overexpression by IHC analysis. There is also a need for establishing a clinically validated cut-off value

  9. Interplay between Natural Killer Cells and Anti-HER2 Antibodies: Perspectives for Breast Cancer Immunotherapy

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    Aura Muntasell

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 defines a subgroup of breast tumors with aggressive behavior. The addition of HER2-targeted antibodies (i.e., trastuzumab, pertuzumab to chemotherapy significantly improves relapse-free and overall survival in patients with early-stage and advanced disease. Nonetheless, considerable proportions of patients develop resistance to treatment, highlighting the need for additional and co-adjuvant therapeutic strategies. HER2-specific antibodies can trigger natural killer (NK cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and indirectly enhance the development of tumor-specific T cell immunity; both mechanisms contributing to their antitumor efficacy in preclinical models. Antibody-dependent NK cell activation results in the release of cytotoxic granules as well as the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IFNγ and TNFα and chemokines. Hence, NK cell tumor suppressive functions include direct cytolytic killing of tumor cells as well as the regulation of subsequent antitumor adaptive immunity. Albeit tumors with gene expression signatures associated to the presence of cytotoxic lymphocyte infiltrates benefit from trastuzumab-based treatment, NK cell-related biomarkers of response/resistance to HER2-specific therapeutic antibodies in breast cancer patients remain elusive. Several variables, including (i the configuration of the patient NK cell repertoire; (ii tumor molecular features (i.e., estrogen receptor expression; (iii concomitant therapeutic regimens (i.e., chemotherapeutic agents, tyrosine kinase inhibitors; and (iv evasion mechanisms developed by progressive breast tumors, have been shown to quantitatively and qualitatively influence antibody-triggered NK cell responses. In this review, we discuss possible interventions for restoring/enhancing the therapeutic activity of HER2 therapeutic antibodies by harnessing NK cell antitumor potential through

  10. LED-FISH: Fluorescence microscopy based on light emitting diodes for the molecular analysis of Her-2/neu oncogene amplification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vollmer Ekkehard

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Light emitting diodes (LED, which are available as small monochromatic light sources with characteristic features such as maximum illumination power combined with minimum energy consumption and extremely long lifespan have already proved as a highly potential low-cost alternative for specific diagnostic applications in clinical medicine such as tuberculosis fluorescence microscopy. Likewise, the most reliable evaluation of Her-2/neu (c-erbB2 gene amplification, which has been established in the last few years for routine diagnosis in clinical pathology as determinant towards Herceptin-based treatment of patients with breast cancer, is based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH and corresponding high priced fluorescence equipment. In order to test the possibility to utilize the advantages of low-cost LED technology on FISH analysis of c-erbB2 gene expression for routine diagnostic purposes, the applicability of a standard bright field Carl Zeiss Axiostar Plus microscope equipped with a Fraen AFTER* LED Fluorescence Microscope Kit for the detection of Her-2/neu gene signals was compared to an advanced Nikon Eclipse 80i fluorescence microscope in combination with a conventional 100W mercury vapor lamp. Both microscopes were fitted with the same Quicam FAST CCD digital camera to unequivocally compare the quality of the captured images. C-erbB2 gene expression was analyzed in 30 different human tissue samples of primary invasive breast cancer, following formalin fixation and subsequent paraffin-embedding. The Her2/neu gene signals (green were identifiable in the tumor cells in all cases and images of equal quality were captured under almost identical conditions by 480 nm (blue LED module equipped standard Axiostar microscope as compared to conventional fluorescence microscopy. In this first attempt, these monochromatic LED elements proved in principle to be suitable for the detection of Her-2/neu gene expression by FISH. Thus, our own

  11. Anti-HER2 immunoliposomes for selective delivery of electron paramagnetic resonance imaging probes to HER2-overexpressing breast tumor cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burks, Scott R.; Macedo, Luciana F.; Barth, Eugene D.; Tkaczuk, Katherine H.; Martin, Stuart S.; Rosen, Gerald M.; Halpern, Howard J.; Brodie, Angela M.

    2014-01-01

    Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) imaging is an emerging modality that can detect and localize paramagnetic molecular probes (so-called spin probes) in vivo. We previously demonstrated that nitroxide spin probes can be encapsulated in liposomes at concentrations exceeding 100 mM, at which nitroxides exhibit a concentration-dependent quenching of their EPR signal that is analogous to the self-quenching of fluorescent molecules. Therefore, intact liposomes encapsulating high concentrations of nitroxides exhibit greatly attenuated EPR spectral signals, and endocytosis of such liposomes represents a cell-activated contrast-generating mechanism. After endocytosis, the encapsulated nitroxide is liberated and becomes greatly diluted in the intracellular milieu. This dequenches the nitroxides to generate a robust intracellular EPR signal. It is therefore possible to deliver a high concentration of nitroxides to cells while minimizing background signal from unendocytosed liposomes. We report here that intracellular EPR signal can be selectively generated in a specific cell type by exploiting its expression of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2). When targeted by anti-HER2 immunoliposomes encapsulating quenched nitroxides, Hc7 cells, which are novel HER2-overexpressing cells derived from the MCF7 breast tumor cell line, endocytose the liposomes copiously, in contrast to the parent MCF7 cells or control CV1 cells, which do not express HER2. HER2-dependent liposomal delivery enables Hc7 cells to accumulate 750 μM nitroxide intracellularly. Through the use of phantom models, we verify that this concentration of nitroxides is more than sufficient for EPR imaging, thus laying the foundation for using EPR imaging to visualize HER2-overexpressing Hc7 tumors in animals. PMID:20066490

  12. Progress in HER2 testing in breast cancer: multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and automated immunohistochemistry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moelans, C.B.

    2009-01-01

    One of the most frequent genetic changes in sporadic breast cancer is amplification of the HER2 gene, usually resulting in protein overexpression on the cell membrane and growth activation of the cells. Breast cancer patients that have this HER2 amplification have a worse prognosis but can be

  13. Comparison of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization for Low and High Throughput HER2 Genetic Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poulsen, Tim S.; Espersen, Maiken L. M.; Kofoed, Vibeke; Dabetic, Tanja; Høgdall, Estrid; Balslev, Eva

    2013-01-01

    The purpose was to evaluate and compare 5 different HER2 genetic assays with different characteristics that could affect the performance to analyze the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) gene copy number under low and high throughput conditions. The study included 108 tissue samples from breast cancer patients with HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) results scored as 0/1+, 2+, and 3+. HER2 genetic status was analysed using chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Scoring results were documented through digital image analysis. The cancer region of interest was identified from a serial H&E stained slide following tissue cores were transferred to a tissue microarrays (TMA). When using TMA in a routine flow, all patients will be tested for HER2 status with IHC followed by CISH or FISH, thereby providing individual HER2 results. In conclusion, our results show that the differences between the HER2 genetic assays do not have an effect on the analytic performance and the CISH technology is superior to high throughput HER2 genetic testing due to scanning speed, while the IQ-FISH may still be a choice for fast low throughput HER2 genetic testing. PMID:24383005

  14. Prevalence of Circulating Tumor Cells After Adjuvant Chemotherapy With or Without Anthracyclines in Patients With HER2-negative, Hormone Receptor-positive Early Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schramm, Amelie; Schochter, Fabienne; Friedl, Thomas W P; de Gregorio, Nikolaus; Andergassen, Ulrich; Alunni-Fabbroni, Marianna; Trapp, Elisabeth; Jaeger, Bernadette; Heinrich, Georg; Camara, Oumar; Decker, Thomas; Ober, Angelika; Mahner, Sven; Fehm, Tanja N; Pantel, Klaus; Fasching, Peter A; Schneeweiss, Andreas; Janni, Wolfgang; Rack, Brigitte K

    2017-07-01

    Use of anthracycline-based chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer (EBC) has been well-established but is often associated with cardiotoxicity. Based on data suggesting a limited benefit of anthracyclines in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative patients, the Simultaneous Study of Docetaxel Based Anthracycline Free Adjuvant Treatment Evaluation, as well as Life Style Intervention Strategies (SUCCESS) C study randomized patients to either anthracycline-containing or anthracycline-free chemotherapy. Given the proven prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in EBC, we compared the prevalence of CTCs after chemotherapy between both treatment arms for a preliminary efficacy assessment. The SUCCESS C trial (NCT00847444) is an open-label, phase III study randomizing 3547 patients with HER2-negative EBC to either 3 cycles of epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and cyclophosphamide followed by 3 cycles of docetaxel (FEC-DOC) or 6 cycles of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide (DOC-C). CTC status was prospectively evaluated in hormone receptor-positive patients at the time of last chemotherapy cycle using the US Food and Drug Administration-approved CellSearch System (Janssen Diagnostics). Data on CTC status were available for 1766 patients. Overall, CTCs were found in 221 (12.5%) patients. Univariate analyses revealed that presence of CTCs at time of last chemotherapy cycle was not significantly associated with tumor or patient characteristics (all P > .1). There was no significant difference with respect to presence of CTCs between patients randomized to FEC-DOC or DOC-C (11.5% vs. 13.6%; P = .18). The comparable prevalence of CTCs at the time of last chemotherapy cycle may indicate that anthracycline-free chemotherapy is equally effective to anthracycline-containing chemotherapy in HER2-negative, hormone receptor-positive EBC. However, efficacy data from the final survival analysis of SUCCESS C have to be awaited to confirm these preliminary

  15. PTEN expression as a predictor for the response to trastuzumab-based therapy in Her-2 overexpressing metastatic breast cancer.

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    Daphne Gschwantler-Kaulich

    Full Text Available Even though trastuzumab is an effective therapy in early stage Her-2+ breast cancer, 40-50% of advanced Her-2+ breast cancer patients develop trastuzumab resistance. A potential resistance mechanism is aberrant downstream signal transmission due to loss of phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN. This study investigated the relationship between the expression of PTEN and trastuzumab response in Her-2 overexpressing metastatic breast cancer patients.Between 2000 and 2007, 164 patients with Her-2+ metastatic breast cancer received trastuzumab-based therapy in our institution. We analyzed PTEN status by immunohistochemistry of 115 available tumor tissues and analyzed associations with other histopathological parameters, response rate, progression free survival (PFS and overall survival (OS with a median follow-up of 60 months.Eighty patients were PTEN positive (69.6% and 35 patients PTEN negative (30.4%. We found a significant association of the expression of PTEN and p53 (p = 0.041, while there was no association with grading, hormone receptor status, IGFR or MIB. We found significantly more cases with progressive disease under trastuzumab-based therapy in patients with PTEN positive breast cancers (p = 0.018, while there was no significant correlation with PFS or OS.In Her-2-positive metastatic breast cancers, PTEN positivity was significantly associated with progressive disease, but not with PFS or OS.

  16. Estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER-2, and response to postmastectomy radiotherapy in high-risk breast cancer: The Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyndi, M.; Sorensen, F.B.; Overgaard, M.

    2008-01-01

    . End points were locoregional recurrence as isolated first event, distant metastases, and overall survival. For statistical analyses four subgroups were constructed from hormonal receptors (Rec). Rec+ was defined as ER+ and/or PgR+. Rec- as both ER- and PgR-. The four subgroups were Rec+/HER-2-, Rec......+/HER-2+, Rec-/HER-2- (triple negative), and Rec-/HER-2+. Results A significantly improved overall survival after PMRT was seen only among patients characterized by good prognostic markers such as hormonal receptor-positive and HER-2- patients (including the two Rec+ subtypes). No significant overall...... after PMRT were found for ER- and PgR- tumors compared with the ER+ and PgR+ tumors (P = .003 and 04, respectively), and for the triple-negative (P = .02), and the Rec-/HER-2+ subtypes (P = .003) compared with the Rec-/HER-2- subtype. Conclusion Hormonal receptor status, HER-2, and the constructed...

  17. Estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER-2, and response to postmastectomy radiotherapy in high-risk breast cancer: the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyndi, Marianne; Sørensen, Flemming Brandt; Knudsen, Helle

    2008-01-01

    . End points were locoregional recurrence as isolated first event, distant metastases, and overall survival. For statistical analyses four subgroups were constructed from hormonal receptors (Rec). Rec+ was defined as ER+ and/or PgR+. Rec-as both ER-and PgR-. The four subgroups were Rec+/HER-2-, Rec......+/HER-2+, Rec-/HER-2-(triple negative), and Rec-/HER-2+. RESULTS: A significantly improved overall survival after PMRT was seen only among patients characterized by good prognostic markers such as hormonal receptor-positive and HER-2- patients (including the two Rec+ subtypes). No significant overall...... after PMRT were found for ER-and PgR-tumors compared with the ER+ and PgR+ tumors (P = .003 and .04, respectively), and for the triple-negative (P = .02), and the Rec-/HER-2+ subtypes (P = .003) compared with the Rec+/HER-2-subtype. CONCLUSION: Hormonal receptor status, HER-2, and the constructed...

  18. [{sup 177}Lu]pertuzumab: experimental studies on targeting of HER-2 positive tumour cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Persson, Mikael; Gedda, Lars [Uppsala University, Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden); Uppsala University, Experimental Urology, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden); Tolmachev, Vladimir; Andersson, Karl; Carlsson, Joergen [Uppsala University, Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala (Sweden); Sandstroem, Mattias [Uppsala University, Medical Radiation Physics, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2005-12-01

    The new antibody pertuzumab (Omnitarg) targets the dimerisation subdomain of HER-2. The purpose of this study was to analyse whether pertuzumab retains HER-2 targeting capacity after labelling with the therapeutically interesting beta emitter {sup 177}Lu and to make initial characterisations in vitro and in vivo. Pertuzumab was conjugated with isothiocyanate-benzyl-CHX-A{sup ''}-DTPA and chelated to {sup 177}Lu. Immunoreactivity, affinity, cellular retention and internalisation were analysed using SKOV-3 cells. The affinity of non-radioactive pertuzumab was measured using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. In vivo targeting and specific binding were assessed in Balb/c (nu/nu) mice carrying SKOV-3 xenografts. The biodistribution of {sup 177}Lu was determined 1, 3 and 7 days after [{sup 177}Lu]pertuzumab administration. Gamma camera images were taken after 3 days. The immunoreactivity of [{sup 177}Lu]pertuzumab was 85.8{+-}1.3%. The affinity of non-radioactive pertuzumab was 1.8{+-}1.1 nM, and that of [{sup 177}Lu]pertuzumab, 4.1{+-}0.7 nM. The cellular retention after 5 h pre-incubation was 90{+-}2% at 20 h. The targeting was HER-2 specific both in vitro and in vivo, since excess amounts of non-labelled antibody inhibited the uptake of labelled antibody (p<0.0001 and p<0.01, respectively). The biodistribution and gamma camera images of {sup 177}Lu showed extensive tumour uptake. Normal tissues had a surprisingly low uptake. Pertuzumab was efficiently labelled with {sup 177}Lu and showed good intracellular retention and HER-2 specific binding both in vitro and in vivo. The gamma camera images and the biodistribution study gave excellent tumour targeting results. Thus, [{sup 177}Lu]pertuzumab is of interest for further studies aimed at radionuclide therapy. (orig.)

  19. A Comparative Performance Analysis of Multispectral and RGB Imaging on HER2 Status Evaluation for the Prediction of Breast Cancer Prognosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wenlou; Wang, Linwei; Liu, Jiuyang; Yuan, Jingping; Chen, Jiamei; Wu, Han; Xiang, Qingming; Yang, Guifang; Li, Yan

    2016-12-01

    Despite the extensive application of multispectral imaging (MSI) in biomedical multidisciplinary researches, there is a paucity of data available regarding the implication of MSI in tumor prognosis prediction. We compared the behaviors of multispectral (MS) and conventional red-green-blue (RGB) images on assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunohistochemistry to explore their impact on outcome in patients with invasive breast cancer (BC). Tissue microarrays containing 240 BC patients were introduced to compare the performance of MS and RGB imaging methods on the quantitative assessment of HER2 status and the prognostic value of 5-year disease-free survival (5-DFS). Both the total and average signal optical density values of HER2 MS and RGB images were analyzed, and all patients were divided into two groups based on the different 5-DFS. The quantification of HER2 MS images was negatively correlated with 5-DFS in lymph node-negative and -positive patients (Panalysis indicated that the hazard ratio (HR) of HER2 MS was higher than that of HER2 RGB (HR=2.454; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.636-3.681 vs HR=2.060; 95% CI, 1.361-3.119). Additionally, area under curve (AUC) by receiver operating characteristic analysis for HER2 MS was greater than that for HER2 RGB (AUC=0.649; 95% CI, 0.577-0.722 vs AUC=0.596; 95% CI, 0.522-0.670) in predicting the risk for recurrence. More importantly, the quantification of HER2 MS images has higher prediction accuracy than that of HER2 RGB images (69.6% vs 65.0%) on 5-DFS. Our study suggested that better information on BC prognosis could be obtained from the quantification of HER2 MS images and MS images might perform better in predicting BC prognosis than conventional RGB images. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Chromogenic in situ hybridization compared with other approaches to evaluate HER2/neu status in breast carcinomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.E. Rosa

    Full Text Available Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 has been evaluated in breast cancer patients to identify those most likely to benefit from herceptin-targeted therapy. HER2 amplification, detected in 20-30% of invasive breast tumors, is associated with reduced survival and metastasis. The most frequently used technique for evaluating HER2 protein status as a routine procedure is immunohistochemistry (IHC. HER2 copy number alterations have also been evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH in moderate immunoexpression (IHC 2+ cases. An alternative procedure to evaluate gene amplification is chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH, which has some advantages over FISH, including the correlation between HER2 status and morphological features. Other methodologies have also been used, such as silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, to determine the number of HER2 gene copies and expression, respectively. Here we will present a short and comprehensive review of the current advances concerning HER2 evaluation in human breast cancer.

  1. Chromogenic in situ hybridization compared with other approaches to evaluate HER2/neu status in breast carcinomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.E. Rosa

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 has been evaluated in breast cancer patients to identify those most likely to benefit from herceptin-targeted therapy. HER2 amplification, detected in 20-30% of invasive breast tumors, is associated with reduced survival and metastasis. The most frequently used technique for evaluating HER2 protein status as a routine procedure is immunohistochemistry (IHC. HER2 copy number alterations have also been evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH in moderate immunoexpression (IHC 2+ cases. An alternative procedure to evaluate gene amplification is chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH, which has some advantages over FISH, including the correlation between HER2 status and morphological features. Other methodologies have also been used, such as silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, to determine the number of HER2 gene copies and expression, respectively. Here we will present a short and comprehensive review of the current advances concerning HER2 evaluation in human breast cancer.

  2. Quantification of HER2 autoantibodies in the amplification phenomenon of HER2 in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauterlein, Jens-Jacob L; Petersen, Eva R B; Olsen, Dorte Aa

    2011-01-01

    Gene amplification of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is a well-known phenomenon in various cancers. However, little is known about the mechanism of the gene amplification phenomenon itself. Autoantibodies to cellular receptors have been described in several cancer types. We hypot...

  3. A phase 1 study evaluating the combination of an allosteric AKT inhibitor (MK-2206) and trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive solid tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudis, Clifford; Swanton, Charles; Janjigian, Yelena Y; Lee, Ray; Sutherland, Stephanie; Lehman, Robert; Chandarlapaty, Sarat; Hamilton, Nicola; Gajria, Devika; Knowles, James; Shah, Jigna; Shannon, Keith; Tetteh, Ernestina; Sullivan, Daniel M; Moreno, Carolina; Yan, Li; Han, Hyo Sook

    2013-11-19

    Trastuzumab is effective in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-over-expressing breast and gastric cancers. However, patients may develop resistance through downstream signaling via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway. This phase 1 trial was conducted to determine the safety and tolerability of the investigational AKT inhibitor MK-2206, to prepare for future studies to determine whether the combination with trastuzumab could inhibit compensatory signaling. Patients with HER2+ treatment-refractory breast and gastroesophageal cancer were enrolled. Treatment consisted of standard doses of intravenous trastuzumab and escalating dose levels of oral MK-2206 using either an every-other-day (45 mg and 60 mg QOD) or once-weekly (135 mg and 200 mg QW) schedule. A total of 34 patients with HER2+ disease were enrolled; 31 received study-drug. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for MK-2206 in combination with trastuzumab was 60 mg for the QOD schedule and 135 mg for the QW schedule, although a true MTD was not established due to early termination of the trial. The most common treatment-emergent toxicities included fatigue, hyperglycemia, and dermatologic rash, consistent with prior experience; one death unrelated to treatment was reported. There was one complete response in a patient with metastatic breast cancer, one patient achieved a partial response, and 5 patients had stable disease for at least 4 months, despite progression on multiple prior trastuzumab- and lapatinib-based therapies. Results also indicate that trastuzumab does not affect the pharmacokinetics of MK-2206. Results suggest the AKT inhibitor MK-2206 can be safely combined with trastuzumab, and is associated with clinical activity, supporting further investigation. ClinicalTrials.gov; identifier: NCT00963547.

  4. Tumor Uptake of 64Cu-DOTA-Trastuzumab in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortimer, Joanne E; Bading, James R; Park, Jinha M; Frankel, Paul H; Carroll, Mary I; Tran, Tri T; Poku, Erasmus K; Rockne, Russell C; Raubitschek, Andrew A; Shively, John E; Colcher, David M

    2018-01-01

    The goal of this study was to characterize the relationship between tumor uptake of 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab as measured by PET/CT and standard, immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based, histopathologic classification of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status in women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Methods: Women with biopsy-confirmed MBC and not given trastuzumab for 2 mo or more underwent complete staging, including 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Patients were classified as HER2-positive (HER2+) or -negative (HER2-) based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-supplemented immunohistochemistry of biopsied tumor tissue. Eighteen patients underwent 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab injection, preceded in 16 cases by trastuzumab infusion (45 mg). PET/CT was performed 21-25 (day 1) and 47-49 (day 2) h after 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab injection. Radiolabel uptake in prominent lesions was measured as SUV max Average intrapatient SUV max ( pt ) was compared between HER2+ and HER2- patients. Results: Eleven women were HER2+ (8 immunohistochemistry 3+; 3 immunohistochemistry 2+/FISH amplified), whereas 7 were HER2- (3 immunohistochemistry 2+/FISH nonamplified; 4 immunohistochemistry 1+). Median pt for day 1 and day 2 was 6.6 and 6.8 g/mL for HER 2+ and 3.7 and 4.3 g/mL for HER2- patients ( P pt overlapped between the 2 groups, and interpatient variability was greater for HER2+ than HER2- disease ( P DOTA-trastuzumab in MBC is strongly associated with patient HER2 status and is indicative of binding to HER2. The variability within and among HER2+ patients, as well as the overlap between the HER2+ and HER2- groups, suggests a role for 64 Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab PET/CT in optimizing treatments that include trastuzumab. © 2018 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

  5. Efficacy and safety of trastuzumab as a single agent in first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, Charles L; Cobleigh, Melody A; Tripathy, Debu; Gutheil, John C; Harris, Lyndsay N; Fehrenbacher, Louis; Slamon, Dennis J; Murphy, Maureen; Novotny, William F; Burchmore, Michael; Shak, Steven; Stewart, Stanford J; Press, Michael

    2002-02-01

    To evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line, single-agent trastuzumab in women with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. One hundred fourteen women with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer were randomized to receive first-line treatment with trastuzumab 4 mg/kg loading dose, followed by 2 mg/kg weekly, or a higher 8 mg/kg loading dose, followed by 4 mg/kg weekly. The objective response rate was 26% (95% confidence interval [CI], 18.2% to 34.4%), with seven complete and 23 partial responses. Response rates in 111 assessable patients with 3+ and 2+ HER2 overexpression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) were 35% (95% CI, 24.4% to 44.7%) and none (95% CI, 0% to 15.5%), respectively. The clinical benefit rates in assessable patients with 3+ and 2+ HER2 overexpression were 48% and 7%, respectively. The response rates in 108 assessable patients with and without HER2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis were 34% (95% CI, 23.9% to 45.7%) and 7% (95% CI, 0.8% to 22.8%), respectively. Seventeen (57%) of 30 patients with an objective response and 22 (51%) of 43 patients with clinical benefit had not experienced disease progression at follow-up at 12 months or later. The most common treatment-related adverse events were chills (25% of patients), asthenia (23%), fever (22%), pain (18%), and nausea (14%). Cardiac dysfunction occurred in two patients (2%); both had histories of cardiac disease and did not require additional intervention after discontinuation of trastuzumab. There was no clear evidence of a dose-response relationship for response, survival, or adverse events. Single-agent trastuzumab is active and well tolerated as first-line treatment of women with metastatic breast cancer with HER2 3+ overexpression by IHC or gene amplification by FISH.

  6. Trastuzumab in the adjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer patients: a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenjin Yin

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Adjuvant trastuzumab therapy has yielded conflicting results for overall survival, concerns about central nervous system (CNS metastasis, and questions about optimal schedule. Therefore, we carried out a meta-analysis to assess the benefits of concurrent or sequential trastuzumab with adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer patients with HER2-positive tumors. METHODS: Computerized and manual searches were performed to identify randomized clinical trials comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab in HER2-positive early breast cancer patients. Odds ratios were used to estimate the association between the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant chemotherapy and various survival outcomes. The fixed-effects or random-effects model was used to combine data. FINDINGS: With six eligible studies identified, this analysis demonstrated that patients with HER2-positive breast cancer derived benefit in disease-free survival, overall survival, locoregional recurrence and distant recurrence (all P<0.001 from the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant chemotherapy, whereas trastuzumab did worse in CNS recurrence as compared to the control group (P = 0.018. Furthermore, concomitant use of trastuzumab significantly lowered the hazard of death (P<0.001 but bore a higher incidence of CNS recurrence (P = 0.010, while statistical significance failed to be discerned for either overall survival (P = 0.069 or CNS metastasis (P = 0.374 between the sequential and observation arms. CONCLUSION: This analysis verifies the efficacy of trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting. Additionally, our findings indirectly corroborate the superiority of concurrent trastuzumab to sequential use and also illuminate that prolonged survival is the possible reason for the higher incidence of CNS with trastuzumab versus observation.

  7. Change in HER2 (ERBB2) gene status after taxane-based chemotherapy for breast cancer: polyploidization can lead to diagnostic pitfalls with potential impact for clinical management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valent, Alexander; Penault-Llorca, Frédérique; Cayre, Anne; Kroemer, Guido

    2013-01-01

    The status of the HER2 (ERBB2) gene in breast cancer is not static and may change among the primary tumor, lymph node metastases, and distant metastases. This status change can be a consequence of the natural evolution of the tumor or can be induced by therapy. The HER2 gene status is, in the majority of cases, established at the moment of diagnosis. After chemotherapy, monitoring HER2 status can be a challenge because of ploidy changes induced by drugs. The cytogeneticist or the pathologist can face real difficulties in distinguishing between a true HER2 amplification and HER2 copy number increase by polyploidization. We performed a HER2 genetic examination by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of invasive breast cancers before and after taxane treatment. The majority of patients (91%) were HER2-negative both at diagnosis and after treatment. Thirty of 344 patients (9%) whose tumors were initially HER2-negative were found by FISH to have supernumerary HER2 gene copies (up to 15 copies) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This HER2 copy increase could not be attributed to true gene amplifications and instead reflected polyploidization events, which presumably affected all chromosomes. Indeed, when we used other FISH probes, we found other gene copy numbers to parallel those of HER2. We recommend careful checking of invasive breast carcinomas by supplementary FISH probes if the copy number of the HER2 gene is >6. This procedure allows the discrimination of specific HER2 gene amplifications and global increases in ploidy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. HER2-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified Virus-Specific T Cells for Progressive Glioblastoma: A Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Nabil; Brawley, Vita; Hegde, Meenakshi; Bielamowicz, Kevin; Kalra, Mamta; Landi, Daniel; Robertson, Catherine; Gray, Tara L; Diouf, Oumar; Wakefield, Amanda; Ghazi, Alexia; Gerken, Claudia; Yi, Zhongzhen; Ashoori, Aidin; Wu, Meng-Fen; Liu, Hao; Rooney, Cliona; Dotti, Gianpietro; Gee, Adrian; Su, Jack; Kew, Yvonne; Baskin, David; Zhang, Yi Jonathan; New, Pamela; Grilley, Bambi; Stojakovic, Milica; Hicks, John; Powell, Suzanne Z; Brenner, Malcolm K; Heslop, Helen E; Grossman, Robert; Wels, Winfried S; Gottschalk, Stephen

    2017-08-01

    Glioblastoma is an incurable tumor, and the therapeutic options for patients are limited. To determine whether the systemic administration of HER2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified virus-specific T cells (VSTs) is safe and whether these cells have antiglioblastoma activity. In this open-label phase 1 dose-escalation study conducted at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital, patients with progressive HER2-positive glioblastoma were enrolled between July 25, 2011, and April 21, 2014. The duration of follow-up was 10 weeks to 29 months (median, 8 months). Monotherapy with autologous VSTs specific for cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, or adenovirus and genetically modified to express HER2-CARs with a CD28.ζ-signaling endodomain (HER2-CAR VSTs). Primary end points were feasibility and safety. The key secondary end points were T-cell persistence and their antiglioblastoma activity. A total of 17 patients (8 females and 9 males; 10 patients ≥18 years [median age, 60 years; range, 30-69 years] and 7 patients VSTs (1 × 106/m2 to 1 × 108/m2) without prior lymphodepletion. Infusions were well tolerated, with no dose-limiting toxic effects. HER2-CAR VSTs were detected in the peripheral blood for up to 12 months after the infusion by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Of 16 evaluable patients (9 adults and 7 children), 1 had a partial response for more than 9 months, 7 had stable disease for 8 weeks to 29 months, and 8 progressed after T-cell infusion. Three patients with stable disease are alive without any evidence of progression during 24 to 29 months of follow-up. For the entire study cohort, median overall survival was 11.1 months (95% CI, 4.1-27.2 months) from the first T-cell infusion and 24.5 months (95% CI, 17.2-34.6 months) from diagnosis. Infusion of autologous HER2-CAR VSTs is safe and can be associated with clinical benefit for patients with progressive glioblastoma

  9. SU-E-I-81: Targeting of HER2-Expressing Tumors with Dual PET-MR Imaging Probes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, P; Peng, Y; Sun, M; Yang, X [Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology Chinese Academy o, Suzhou, Jiangsu (China)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: The detection of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) expression in malignant tumors provides important information influencing patient management. Radionuclide in vivo imaging of HER2 may permit the detection of HER2 in both primary tumors and metastases by a single noninvasive procedure. Trastuzumab, effective in about 15 % of women with breast cancer, downregulates signalling through the Akt/PI3K and MAPK pathways.These pathways modulate metabolism which can be monitored by positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: The relationship between response of HER2 overexpressing tumours and changes in imaging PET or SPECT and MRI will be examined by a integrated bimodal imaging probe.Small (7 kDa) high-affinity anti-HER2 Affibody molecules and KCCYSL targeting peptide may be suitable tracers for visualization of HER2-expressing tumors. Peptide-conjugated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) as MRI imaging and CB-TE2A as PET imaging are integrated into a single synthetic molecule in the HER2 positive cancer. Results: One of targeted contrast bimodal imaging probe agents was synthesized and evaluated to target HER2-expressing tumors in a HER2 positive rat model. We will report the newest results regarding the development of bimodal imaging probes. Conclusion: The preliminary results of the bimodal imaging probe presents high correlation of MRI signal and PET imaging intensity in vivo. This unique feature can hardly be obtained by single model contrast agents. It is envisioned that this bimodal agents can hold great potential for accurate detection of HER2-expressing tumors which are critical for clinical management of the disease.

  10. A prognostic factor index for overall survival in patients receiving first-line chemotherapy for HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: an analysis of the ATHENA trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llombart-Cussac, Antonio; Pivot, Xavier; Biganzoli, Laura; Cortes-Funes, Hernan; Pritchard, Kathleen I; Pierga, Jean-Yves; Smith, Ian; Thomssen, Christoph; Srock, Stefanie; Sampayo, Miguel; Cortes, Javier

    2014-10-01

    Evidence-based definitions of 'poor-prognosis' or 'aggressive' advanced breast cancer are lacking. We developed a prognostic factor index using data from 2203 patients treated with first-line chemotherapy plus bevacizumab for HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. The risk factors most closely associated with worse OS were: disease-free interval ≤24 months; liver metastases or ≥3 involved organ sites; prior anthracycline and/or taxane therapy; triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); and performance status 2 or prior analgesic/corticosteroid treatment. Risk of death was increased threefold in patients with ≥3 versus ≤1 risk factors (hazard ratio 3.0 [95% CI 2.6-3.4; p < 0.001]; median 16.0 vs 38.8 months, respectively). This prognostic index may enable identification of patients with a poorer prognosis in whom more intensive systemic regimens may be appropriate. The index may also be considered in designing new trials, although it requires validation in other datasets before extrapolation to non-bevacizumab-containing therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00448591. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval: Neratinib for the Extended Adjuvant Treatment of Early Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Harpreet; Walker, Amanda J; Amiri-Kordestani, Laleh; Cheng, Joyce; Tang, Shenghui; Balcazar, Pamela; Barnett-Ringgold, Kimberly; Palmby, Todd R; Cao, Xianhua; Zheng, Nan; Liu, Qi; Yu, Jingyu; Pierce, William F; Daniels, Selena R; Sridhara, Rajeshwari; Ibrahim, Amna; Kluetz, Paul G; Blumenthal, Gideon M; Beaver, Julia A; Pazdur, Richard

    2018-03-09

    On July 17, 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved neratinib (NERLYNX, Puma Biotechnology, Inc) for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer, to follow adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy. Approval was based on data from ExteNET, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. Women with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer and within two years of completing adjuvant trastuzumab were randomized to neratinib (n=1420) or placebo (n=1420) for one year. The primary endpoint was invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) defined as the time between randomization date to first occurrence of invasive recurrence (local/regional, ipsilateral or contralateral breast cancer), distance recurrence, or death from any cause, with two years and 28 days of follow up. The trial showed a statistically significant treatment effect favoring neratinib with a stratified hazard ratio of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.90, p=0.008). Estimated iDFS rate at 2-years was 94.2% (95% CI: 92.6%, 95.4%) in patients treated with neratinib vs. 91.9% (95% CI: 90.2%, 93.2%) in those receiving placebo. Diarrhea was the most common adverse event (AE) with a 40% incidence of Grade 3 or 4 diarrhea and represents the most common AE leading to treatment discontinuation. Other frequent AEs (>10% incidence) were nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, vomiting, rash, stomatitis, decreased appetite, and muscle spasms. Other than diarrhea, neratinib is associated with a low incidence of severe AEs; toxicities are generally reversible and manageable with dose interruptions, dose reductions, and/or standard medical care. This article summarizes FDA decision-making and data supporting the neratinib approval. Copyright ©2018, American Association for Cancer Research.

  12. ER, HER2, and TOP2A expression in primary tumor, synchronous axillary nodes, and asynchronous metastases in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jeanette Dupont; Knoop, Ann; Ewertz, Marianne

    2011-01-01

    with the primary tumors with respect to ER, HER2, and TOP2A. In the prospective tissue-collection study, 81 patients had biopsy from a suspected relapse. Additional archived paired material was included, leaving a total of 119 patients with paired primary tumor, synchronous axillary nodes (available in 52 patients......At recurrence of breast cancer, the therapeutic target is the metastases. However, it is current practice to base the choice of systemic treatment on the biomarker profile of the primary tumor. In the present study, confirmatory biopsies were obtained from suspected metastatic lesions and compared......) and asyncronous metastases available for analysis. ER, HER2, and TOP2A expression of primary tumors, axillary nodes and metastases were re-analysed and determined centrally by immunohistochemistry, chromogenic in situ hybridization, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Of the 81 patients with a biopsy from...

  13. Aberrant Splicing of Estrogen Receptor, HER2, and CD44 Genes in Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazushi Inoue

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Breast cancer (BC is the most common cause of cancer-related death among women under the age of 50 years. Established biomarkers, such as hormone receptors (estrogen receptor [ER]/progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2, play significant roles in the selection of patients for endocrine and trastuzumab therapies. However, the initial treatment response is often followed by tumor relapse with intrinsic resistance to the first-line therapy, so it has been expected to identify novel molecular markers to improve the survival and quality of life of patients. Alternative splicing of pre-messenger RNAs is a ubiquitous and flexible mechanism for the control of gene expression in mammalian cells. It provides cells with the opportunity to create protein isoforms with different, even opposing, functions from a single genomic locus. Aberrant alternative splicing is very common in cancer where emerging tumor cells take advantage of this flexibility to produce proteins that promote cell growth and survival. While a number of splicing alterations have been reported in human cancers, we focus on aberrant splicing of ER , HER2 , and CD44 genes from the viewpoint of BC development. ERα36 , a splice variant from the ER1 locus, governs nongenomic membrane signaling pathways triggered by estrogen and confers 4-hydroxytamoxifen resistance in BC therapy. The alternative spliced isoform of HER2 lacking exon 20 (Δ16HER2 has been reported in human BC; this isoform is associated with transforming ability than the wild-type HER2 and recapitulates the phenotypes of endocrine therapy-resistant BC. Although both CD44 splice isoforms ( CD44s , CD44v play essential roles in BC development, CD44v is more associated with those with favorable prognosis, such as luminal A subtype, while CD44s is linked to those with poor prognosis, such as HER2 or basal cell subtypes that are often metastatic. Hence, the detection of splice variants from these loci

  14. Restoring Lost Anti-HER-2 Th1 Immunity in Breast Cancer: A Crucial Role for Th1 Cytokines in Therapy and Prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nocera, Nadia F; Lee, M Catherine; De La Cruz, Lucy M; Rosemblit, Cinthia; Czerniecki, Brian J

    2016-01-01

    The ErbB/B2 (HER-2/neu) oncogene family plays a critical role in the development and metastatic spread of several tumor types including breast, ovarian and gastric cancer. In breast cancer, HER-2/neu is expressed in early disease development in a large percentage of DCIS lesions and its expression is associated with an increased risk of invasion and recurrence. Targeting HER-2 with antibodies such as trastuzumab or pertuzumab has improved survival, but patients with more extensive disease may develop resistance to therapy. Interestingly, response to HER-2 targeted therapies correlates with presence of immune response genes in the breast. Th1 cell production of the cytokines interferon gamma (IFNγ) and TNFα can enhance MHC class I expression, PD-L1 expression, augment apoptosis and tumor senescence, and enhances growth inhibition of many anti-breast cancer agents, including anti-estrogens and HER-2 targeted therapies. Recently, we have identified that a loss of anti-HER-2 CD4 Th1 in peripheral blood occurs during breast tumorigenesis and is dramatically diminished, even in Stage I breast cancers. The loss of anti-HER-2 Th1 response is specific and not readily reversed by standard therapies. In fact, this loss of anti-HER-2 Th1 response in peripheral blood correlates with lack of complete response to neoadjuvant therapy and diminished disease-free survival. This defect can be restored with HER-2 vaccinations in both DCIS and IBC. Correcting the anti-HER-2 Th1 response may have significant impact in improving response to HER-2 targeted therapies. Development of immune monitoring systems for anti-HER-2 Th1 to identify patients at risk for recurrence could be critical to improving outcomes, since the anti-HER-2 Th1 response can be restored by vaccination. Correction of the cellular immune response against HER-2 may prevent recurrence in high-risk patients with DCIS and IBC at risk of developing new or recurrent breast cancer.

  15. Clinical significance of Mena and Her-2 expression in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, J W; Xu, K Y; Fang, L Y; Qi, X L

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the expression patterns of Mena and Her-2 in breast cancer tissues and to explore their clinical significance and correlation with clinicopathological parameters. The expression of Mena and Her-2 was detected in 40 breast cancer tissues and 14 normal breast tissues by immunohistochemistry, and the relationship of Mena and Her-2 expression with clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. Both Mena (70%) and Her-2 (40%) were more commonly expressed in breast cancer than in normal breast tissue (7.1%, 0%, respectively; p Mena and Her-2 expression in breast cancer were positively correlated (r = 0.530, p Mena and Her-2 were both associated with axillary lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (p Mena and Her-2 are related to the malignancy degree and metastasis of breast cancer, and thus may play a coordinating role in the occurrence and progression of breast cancer.

  16. Cytologic assessment of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 status in metastatic breast carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pareja, Fresia; Murray, Melissa P; Jean, Ryan Des; Konno, Fumiko; Friedlander, Maria; Lin, Oscar; Edelweiss, Marcia

    2017-01-01

    Discordance in the receptor status between primary breast carcinomas (PBC) and corresponding metastasis is well documented. Interrogation of the receptor status of metastatic breast carcinoma (MBC) in cytology material is common practice; however, its utility has not been thoroughly validated. We studied patients with MBC, and evaluated the concordance rates of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) between PBC surgical specimens and corresponding MBC cell blocks (CBs). We correlated the findings with clinicopathologic variables and with the fixation methods used. We searched for patients with MBC diagnosed on cytology from 2007 to 2009 and selected those with ER, PR and HER2 tested in both the PBC surgical specimens and the MBC CBs. We included CBs fixed in formalin and methanol based solution (CytoLyt®). All slides were reevaluated by cytopathologists. Clinical information was retrieved from the medical records. We studied 65 patients with PBC and MBC paired specimens. The concordance rates between PBC and MBC were 78.5%, 58.5% and 96.9%, for ER, PR and HER2, respectively. When discordant, PR status switched from positive (PBC) to negative (MBC) in most cases (23/27). The PR concordance rate was 45.2% for CBs fixed in formalin and 70.6% for those fixed with CytoLyt® (p=0.047). The ER, PR and HER2 concordance rates between the PBC and MBC CBs are similar to those reported in paired surgical specimens. PR status was the most prevalent discordance and was not accompanied by a switch in ER.

  17. IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION OF HER2 IN ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE STOMACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Michelon DE CARLI

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Background Worldwide, gastric cancer is the fourth cancer in incidence and the second most common cause of cancer death. Gastric cancer is asymptomatic in the early stages and very often diagnosed at advanced stages, determining a dismal prognosis. Expression of the HER2 gene has been identified in about 20% of gastric cancer cases, and its hyper-expression is associated with poor prognosis. Objective To investigate HER2 immunohistochemical expression in gastric adenocarcinoma and its relationship to the histological type and anatomic location. Methods A cross-sectional retrospective study analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of HER2 in a sample of 48 specimens of gastric cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis were performed using avidin-biotin-peroxidase method with C-erb B2 (clone EP1045Y, as a primary antibody (Biocare Medical, USA. Standardized gastric adenocarcinoma‘s HER2 expression criteria has been used in the analysis of samples. Results There were seven cases with reactivity for HER2. Five were of intestinal-type while two cases were of mixed-type in which the expression occurred in the intestinal component. It was identified a significant association of HER2 expression in the intestinal subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma (P=0.003. Regarding the anatomical site, HER2 was positive in only one (16.6% of the six proximal cases and six (14.28% of the 42 distal cases (P=0.88. Conclusion HER2 immunoexpression was identified in 14.6% of the samples, and the expression was significantly associated to Lauren’s intestinal subtype.

  18. Analytical Validation of a Highly Quantitative, Sensitive, Accurate, and Reproducible Assay (HERmark® for the Measurement of HER2 Total Protein and HER2 Homodimers in FFPE Breast Cancer Tumor Specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey S. Larson

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We report here the results of the analytical validation of assays that measure HER2 total protein (H2T and HER2 homodimer (H2D expression in Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE breast cancer tumors as well as cell line controls. The assays are based on the VeraTag technology platform and are commercially available through a central CAP-accredited clinical reference laboratory. The accuracy of H2T measurements spans a broad dynamic range (2-3 logs as evaluated by comparison with cross-validating technologies. The measurement of H2T expression demonstrates a sensitivity that is approximately 7–10 times greater than conventional immunohistochemistry (IHC (HercepTest. The HERmark assay is a quantitative assay that sensitively and reproducibly measures continuous H2T and H2D protein expression levels and therefore may have the potential to stratify patients more accurately with respect to response to HER2-targeted therapies than current methods which rely on semiquantitative protein measurements (IHC or on indirect assessments of gene amplification (FISH.

  19. COX-2 activation is associated with Akt phosphorylation and poor survival in ER-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glynn, Sharon A; Ambs, Stefan; Prueitt, Robyn L; Ridnour, Lisa A; Boersma, Brenda J; Dorsey, Tiffany M; Wink, David A; Goodman, Julie E; Yfantis, Harris G; Lee, Dong H

    2010-01-01

    Inducible cyclooxgenase-2 (COX-2) is commonly overexpressed in breast tumors and is a target for cancer therapy. Here, we studied the association of COX-2 with breast cancer survival and how this association is influenced by tumor estrogen and HER2 receptor status and Akt pathway activation. Tumor COX-2, HER2 and estrogen receptor α (ER) expression and phosphorylation of Akt, BAD, and caspase-9 were analyzed immunohistochemically in 248 cases of breast cancer. Spearman's correlation and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between COX-2 and tumor characteristics. Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between COX-2 and disease-specific survival. COX-2 was significantly associated with breast cancer outcome in ER-negative [Hazard ratio (HR) = 2.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.36-5.41; comparing high versus low COX-2] and HER2 overexpressing breast cancer (HR = 2.84; 95% CI, 1.07-7.52). However, the hazard of poor survival associated with increased COX-2 was highest among patients who were both ER-negative and HER2-positive (HR = 5.95; 95% CI, 1.01-34.9). Notably, COX-2 expression in the ER-negative and HER2-positive tumors correlated significantly with increased phosphorylation of Akt and of the two Akt targets, BAD at Ser136 and caspase-9 at Ser196. Up-regulation of COX-2 in ER-negative and HER2-positive breast tumors is associated with Akt pathway activation and is a marker of poor outcome. The findings suggest that COX-2-specific inhibitors and inhibitors of the Akt pathway may act synergistically as anticancer drugs in the ER-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer subtype

  20. Comparison of Immunohistochemical and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Assessment for HER-2/neu Status in Taiwanese Breast Cancer Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shou-Jen Kuo

    2007-06-01

    Conclusion: The current algorithm to use HER-2 FISH as a supplementary role to IHC HercepTest 2+ may need some modifications according to the local setting. TOP2A FISH adds little value to HER-2 FISH and IHC staining in our study.

  1. Maintenance Therapy with Trastuzumab in Her2 Positive Metastatic Parotid Ductal Adenocarcinoma

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    Muhammad Shahid Iqbal

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Salivary ductal carcinomas (SDCs are extremely rare and aggressive malignancies, accounting for approximately 6% of all salivary gland malignancies. One distinct feature is their resemblance to ductal carcinomas of breast. A significant percentage of SDCs overexpress Her2 and the use of targeted therapy with trastuzumab can be considered in these patients. We report a rare case of long term disease control with trastuzumab in Her2 positive metastatic parotid ductal carcinoma. Our case also highlights that isolated brain metastasis should be managed aggressively to allow optimal local control when systemic disease is under remission with trastuzumab. We have also reviewed the published literature on the use of trastuzumab in SDCs.

  2. Prolyl isomerase Pin1 is highly expressed in Her2-positive breast cancer and regulates erbB2 protein stability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Kun

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Overexpression of HER-2/Neu occurs in about 25–30% of breast cancer patients and is indicative of poor prognosis. While Her2/Neu overexpression is primarily a result of erbB2 amplification, it has recently been recognized that erbB2 levels are also regulated on the protein level. However, factors that regulate Her2/Neu protein stability are less well understood. The prolyl isomerase Pin1 catalyzes the isomerization of specific pSer/Thr-Pro motifs that have been phosphorylated in response to mitogenic signaling. We have previously reported that Pin1-catalyzed post-phosphorylational modification of signal transduction modulates the oncogenic pathways downstream from c-neu. The goal of this study was to examine the expression of prolyl isomerase Pin1 in human Her2+ breast cancer, and to study if Pin1 affects the expression of Her2/Neu itself. Methods Immunohistochemistry for Her2 and Pin1 were performed on two hundred twenty-three human breast cancers, with 59% of the specimen from primary cancers and 41% from metastatic sites. Pin1 inhibition was achieved using siRNA in Her2+ breast cancer cell lines, and its effects were studied using cell viability assays, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Results Sixty-four samples (28.7% stained positive for Her2 (IHC 3+, and 54% (122/223 of all breast cancers stained positive for Pin1. Of the Her2-positive cancers 40 (62.5% were also Pin1-positive, based on strong nuclear or nuclear and cytoplasmic staining. Inhibition of Pin1 via RNAi resulted in significant suppression of Her2-positive tumor cell growth in BT474, SKBR3 and AU565 cells. Pin1 inhibition greatly increased the sensitivity of Her2-positive breast cancer cells to the mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin, while it did not increase their sensitivity to Trastuzumab, suggesting that Pin1 might act on Her2 signaling. We found that Pin1 interacted with the protein complex that contains ubiquitinated erbB2 and that Pin1 inhibition accelerated erbB2

  3. Sanctuary site leptomeningeal metastases in HER-2 positive breast cancer: A review in the era of trastuzumab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kordbacheh, T; Law, W Y; Smith, I E

    2016-04-01

    The development of trastuzumab and other targeted systemic therapies has transformed the management of HER-2 positive breast cancers. However, as patients live longer and systemic therapies may not cross the blood brain barrier a rising number of patients are developing leptomeningeal metastases and brain metastases as a sanctuary site of disease. Intrathecal trastuzumab has been reported to treat these. We describe a breast cancer patient with HER-2 positive leptomeningeal disease in the spinal cord successfully treated with intrathecal trastuzumab and methotrexate, alongside systemic anti-HER-2 therapy and radiotherapy. We also review the literature to date on the efficacy and safety of intrathecal trastuzumab, and recent evidence suggesting that intrathecal trastuzumab passes via the blood brain barrier into the serum to achieve intravenous concentrations similar to that seen with systemic therapy alone. Overall, intrathecal trastuzumab appears to be a safe and often effective treatment for leptomeningeal metastases in HER-2 positive breast cancer. Ongoing phase I and II studies are required to determine optimum dosing schedules, validate CSF and CSF-to-serum pharmacokinetics, determine efficacy, and to assess the added benefits or disadvantages of prior radiotherapy and concomitant systemic therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Impact of somatic PI3K pathway and ERBB family mutations on pathological complete response (pCR) in HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant HER2-targeted therapies.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Toomey, Sinead

    2017-07-27

    The Cancer Genome Atlas analysis revealed that somatic EGFR, receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-2 (ERBB2), Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (ERBB3) and Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (ERBB4) gene mutations (ERBB family mutations) occur alone or co-occur with somatic mutations in the gene encoding the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) catalytic subunit (PIK3CA) in 19% of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancers. Because ERBB family mutations can activate the PI3K\\/AKT pathway and likely have similar canonical signalling effects to PI3K pathway mutations, we investigated their combined impact on response to neoadjuvant HER2-targeted therapies.

  5. Immunization with a novel chimeric peptide representing B and T cell epitopes from HER2 extracellular domain (HER2 ECD) for breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahdavi, Manijeh; Keyhanfar, Mehrnaz; Jafarian, Abbas; Mohabatkar, Hassan; Rabbani, Mohammad

    2014-12-01

    Because of direct stimulating immune system against disease, vaccination or active immunotherapy is preferable compared to passive immunotherapy. For this purpose, a newly designed chimeric peptide containing epitopes for both B and T cells from HER2 ECD subdomain III was proposed. To evaluate the effects of the active immunization, a discontinuous B cell epitope peptide was selected based on average antigenicity by bioinformatics analysis. The selected peptide was collinearly synthesized as a chimera with a T helper epitope from the protein sequence of measles virus fusion (208-302) using the GPSL linker. Three mice were immunized with the chimeric peptide. Reactive antibodies with HER2 protein in ELISA and immunofluorescence assays with no cross-reactivity were generated. The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay indicated that the anti-peptide sera had inhibitory effects on proliferation of SK-BR-3 cells. Hence, the newly designed, discontinuous chimeric peptide representing B and T cell epitopes from subdomain III of HER2-ECD can form the basis for future vaccines design, where these data can be applied for monoclonal antibody production targeting the distinct epitope of HER2 receptor compared to the two broadly used anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies, Herceptin and pertuzumab.

  6. Cell-specific regulation of proliferation by Ano1/TMEM16A in breast cancer with different ER, PR, and HER2 status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Huizhe; Wang, Hui; Guan, Shu; Zhang, Jing; Chen, Qiuchen; Wang, Xiaodong; Ma, Ke; Zhao, Pengfei; Zhao, Haishan; Yao, Weifan; Jin, Feng; Xiao, Qinghuan; Wei, Minjie

    2017-10-17

    The calcium-activated chloride channel Ano1 (TMEM16A) is overexpressed in many tumors. However, conflicting data exist regarding the role of Ano1 in cell proliferation. Here, we performed immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression of Ano1 and Ki67 in 403 patients with breast cancer, and analyzed the association between the expression of Ano1 and Ki67 in breast cancer subtypes categorized according to estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Ano1 expression was negatively correlated with Ki67 expression. Ano1 overexpression more frequently occurred in ER-positive or HER2-negative patients with the low expression of Ki67. Ano1 overexpression was associated with longer overall survival (OS) in breast cancer with the low expression of Ki67, especially in ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative breast cancer. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Ano1 overexpression was a prognostic factor for longer overall survival in ER-positive, PR-positive, or HER2-negative patients with the low expression of Ki67. Furthermore, Ano1 promoted cell proliferation in ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative MCF7 cells, but inhibited cell proliferation in ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative MDA-MB-435S cells. Our findings suggest that Ano1 may differentially regulate cell proliferation in a subtype of breast cancer defined by ER, PR, and HER2. Combined expression of Ano1 and Ki67 may be used for predicting clinical outcomes of breast cancer patients with different subtypes of ER, PR, and HER2.

  7. Predictive Value of Serum HER-2/neu in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with HERCEPTIN

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šimíčková, M.; Petráková, K.; Pecen, Ladislav; Nekulová, M.; Nenutil, R.

    2004-01-01

    Roč. 8, - (2004), s. 87 ISSN 1211-8869. [CECHTUMA 2004. 01.10.2004-03.10.2004, Prague] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1030915 Keywords : predictive value * HER-2 * breast cancer Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research

  8. Systemic therapy for HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathew, Aju; Romond, Edward H

    The advent of the targeted monoclonal antbody trastuzumab for treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer marked a revolution in the understanding and management of mammary carcinoma and, in practice, separated this subtype from other kinds of primary breast malignancy. Long term follow-up from the initial large adjuvant trials continue to show remarkably positive results. Currently, at least four additional agents targeting this receptor, using different and complementary mechanisms of action compared with trastuzumab, have been incorporated into clinical trials. The small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors lapatinib and neratinib, in addition to the antibody pertuzumab and the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab-ematansine, have shown efficacy in metastatic breast cancer and are being evaluated both in neoadjuvant and adjuvant trials for early stage disease. The cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens used in combination with these agents also are evolving and different therapeutic approaches are emerging for patients depending on their relative level of risk from their cancers, thus moving clinical management toward individualized therapy. Much has been learned about managing the toxicities of treatment and pre-operative approaches have provided a means of assessing the sensitivity of individual patients' cancers to specific treatment regimens. This review traces the development of these studies and focuses on improvements in adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive disease whose prognosis has changed in the last decade from dire to favorable. A path forward has been set by which the goal of cure is attainable for almost all patients faced with this aggressive form of breast cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 exerts extensive antitumor activity in HER2-positive gastric cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Yan; Tian, Tiantian; Zou, Jianling; Wang, Qiwei; Li, Zhongwu; Li, Yanyan; Liu, Xijuan; Dong, Bin; Li, Na; Gao, Jing; Shen, Lin

    2015-01-01

    To investigate the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 (NVP-BEZ235) in HER2-positive gastric cancer. HER2-positive breast cancer cell line (BT474), HER2-positive (NCI-N87 and SNU216), and HER2-negative (MKN45) gastric cancer cell lines were used in this study. Cell viability, cell cycle, and HER2 downstream signaling pathways were analyzed using the MTS assay, flow cytometry, and western blotting, respectively. For the in vivo experiments, HER2-positive gastric cancer patient-derived xenografts were treated with BEZ235 to assess its antitumor activity. The sensitivity of trastuzumab in BT474 cells was higher than that for NCI-N87 and SNU216 cells, which may be partially attributed to continuously active HER2 downstream signaling pathway. BEZ235 inhibited the proliferation of NCI-N87 and SNU216 cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner by inducing the cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. BEZ235 demonstrated greater inhibitory effects than trastuzumab, a unique targeted drug, in both the in vitro and in vivo set of experiments. Additionally, our results indicate that BEZ235 displayed some synergism with trastuzumab. BEZ235 exhibited its antitumor activity in gastric cancer by inhibiting important HER2 downstream signaling pathways, as indicated by the inhibition of phosphorylated AKT and S6. The present study has demonstrated, for the first time, the antitumor activity of BEZ235 against HER2-positive gastric cancer in patient-derived xenografts, as well its synergistic interaction with trastuzumab. These important findings can be utilized to facilitate the design of future clinical trials. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1900-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

  10. Imaging HER2 in response to T-DM1 therapy in breast cancer xenografts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Massicano, Adriana Vidal; Aweda, Tolulope; Marqueznostra, Bernadette; El Sayed, Reeta; Beacham, Rebecca; Lapi, Suzanne [University Of Alabama, Birmingham, AL (United States)

    2017-07-01

    Full text: Introduction: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become broadly used for the treatment of cancer because they can be engineered to bind specifically to the target and therefore typically have less toxicity compared to broad spectrum chemotherapies (Jauw YWS, Menke-van der Houven van Oordt CW, Hoekstra OS, et al. Front Pharmacol 2016, 7:1-15). Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (TDM1) is a newly approved HER2 targeted therapy which consists of a cytotoxic agent (DM1) linked to trastuzumab and has shown promising results in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer (Barok MT, Köninki M, Isola K et al. Breast Cancer Res 2011, 13:1465-5411). Although {sup 18}F-FDG is considered the gold standard in the diagnosis and staging of various types of cancer, it is a relatively non-specific marker (Janjigian YY, Viola-Villegas N, Holland JP, Divilov V, Carlin SD et al. J Nucl Med 2013;54:936-43). Alternatively, {sup 89}Zr-Pertuzumab which binds to a different epitope than trastuzumab on the HER2 receptor has shown high selectively in imaging variations in HER2 expression in breast cancer xenograft models (Marquez BV, Ikotun OF, Zheleznyak A, Wright B et al. Mol Pharm 2014;11:3988-95). Therefore, in this work, we investigated the specificity of {sup 89}Zr-Pertuzumab compared to {sup 18}F-FDG to identify early response to ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in a breast cancer xenograft model. Methods: Pertuzumab was conjugated top-NCS-Bz-DFO at varying molar ratios and labeled with {sup 89}Zr in different conditions. The optimal conditions were used in further in vitro and in vivo studies. In vivo PET imaging was conducted in nude female mice implanted with 17β-estradiol pellets and inoculated with 1 x 107 BT-474 HER2 positive breast cancer cells. In order to acquire baseline images, mice were injected via tail-vein with 200 μCi of 18F-FDG and imaged after 1 hour. The following day, they were injected with 100 μCi of {sup 89}Zr-Pertuzumab (20 μCi/μg) imaged 5

  11. Immunohistochemical her-2/ neu expression with gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization for assessment in breast carcinomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moatter, T.; Zahida, Z.U.D.; Kayani, N.; Pervez, S.

    2007-01-01

    To compare gene amplification of HER-2/neu gene by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in moderate to strong immunohistochemically (IHS) positive HER-2/neu cases of invasive breast carcinomas. Forty one (41) diagnosed cases of invasive breast carcinomas were included in this study in which already determined immunohistochemical HER-2/neu expression was scored as either 2+ or 3+, based on the intensity of membranous staining. These cases were further evaluated for gene amplification by FISH. For gene amplification, a ratio of HER-2/CEP z 2 was accepted as positive gene amplification. Out of a total 41 cases, which were scored as 2+ and 3+ by IHC, 14 cases (34.1%, 95% confidence interval: 19% - 49.3% ) showed gene amplification by FISH. Proportion of FISH positivity in IHC 2+ cases alone was found to be 25% (95% confidence interval: 10.5% - 41%). In contrast, a majority of IHC 3+ cases (5 of 6) were positive by FISH studies. IHC is appropriate for initial HER-2/neu assessment and patients with tumors scored as 3+ may be treated alone based on this information provided strict quality control and 95% concordance with FISH assays; however, patients with tumors interpreted as 2+, would benefit from gene amplification by FISH studies for more accurate assessment to avoid inaccurate prognostication and treatment. (author)

  12. ABP 980: promising trastuzumab biosimilar for HER2-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paplomata, Elisavet; Nahta, Rita

    2018-03-01

    Approval of the HER2-targeted antibody trastuzumab dramatically improved outcomes for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Multiple trastuzumab biosimilars, including ABP 980, are in clinical development. Biosimilars are not identical to the reference biologic, but exhibit equivalence and safety in analytical and clinical studies. Areas covered: A brief introduction to trastuzumab, overview of trastuzumab biosimilars, and detailed review of ABP 980 preclinical and clinical studies are included. We searched PubMed and 2016-2017 ASCO and ESMO conference proceedings for 'ABP 980' or 'trastuzumab biosimilar'. 'ABP 980 and breast cancer' or 'trastuzumab biosimilar and breast cancer' were used to search clinicaltrials.gov for phase III trials. Analytical studies of ABP 980 pharmacokinetics (PK) or pharmacodynamics (PD), phase I studies of ABP 980 safety and PK/PD, and phase III studies of clinical efficacy vs trastuzumab are included. Expert opinion: Questions remain regarding long-term impact of biosimilars on overall healthcare costs, insurance coverage of multiple approved biosimilars, and extensive clinical safety and efficacy follow-up. By producing a competitive market, trastuzumab biosimilars are anticipated to improve access to standard of care therapies, although real-world evidence remains to be obtained. Increased global access to HER2-targeted therapy may eventually alter the landscape of breast cancer and survival rates.

  13. Assessment of topoisomerase II-alpha gene status by dual color chromogenic in situ hybridization in a set of Iraqi patients with invasive breast carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasha Abd Alraouf Neama

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2 proto-oncogene is overexpressed or amplified in approximately 15%–25% of invasive breast cancers. Approximately 35% of HER2-amplified breast cancers have coamplification of the topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A gene encoding an enzyme that is a major target of anthracyclines. Hence, the determination of genetic alteration (amplification or deletion of both genes is considered as an important predictive factor that determines the response of breast cancer patients to treatment. The aims of this study are to determinate TOP2A status gene amplification in a set of Iraqi patients with breast cancer that have had an equivocal (2+ and positive HER2/neu by immunohistochemistry (IHC and to compare the results with estrogen receptor (ER and progesterone receptor (PR and HER2/neu status. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study done on 53 patients with invasive breast carcinoma. Twenty-six out of total 53 cases were positive HER2/neu (3+, the remaining 27 equivocal HER2-IHC (2+ cases reanalyzed using dual-color chromogenic in situ hybridization (ZytoVision probe kit for further identification of HER2/neu gene amplification. Using chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH, TOP2A gene status determination was done for all cases. Results: There is a direct significant correlation between TOP2A gene amplification and HER2/neu positivity, P < 0.05 in that 15 (39.4% out of 38 positive HER2/neu cases were associated with topoisomerase gene amplification. Regarding relation of topoisomerase gene to hormone receptor status (ER and PR, there was a significant negative relationship between the gene and ER receptor status. The higher level of gene amplification was noticed in ER and PR negative cases in about 13 (43.3% and 14 (48.2% for ER and PR, respectively. Conclusion: TOP2A gene status has a significantly positive correlation with HER2/neu status while it has a significantly negative

  14. Development of the designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3 for HER2 molecular imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldstein, Robert; Livanos, Maria; Bhavsar, Gaurav; Rashid, Mohammed; Miranda, Enrique; Tolner, Berend; Meyer, Tim; Chester, Kerry; Sosabowski, Jane; Leyton, Julius; Mather, Stephen; Vigor, Kim; Nagy-Davidescu, Gabriela; Plueckthun, Andreas; Yeung, Jenny

    2015-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpression is a predictor of response to anti-HER2 therapy in breast and gastric cancer. Currently, HER2 status is assessed by tumour biopsy, but this may not be representative of the larger tumour mass or other metastatic sites, risking misclassification and selection of suboptimal therapy. The designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3 binds HER2 with high affinity at an epitope that does not overlap with trastuzumab and is biologically inert. We hypothesized that radiolabelled DARPin G3 would be capable of selectively imaging HER2-positive tumours, and aimed to identify a suitable format for clinical application. G3 DARPins tagged with hexahistidine (His 6 ) or with histidine glutamate (HE) 3 and untagged G3 DARPins were manufactured using a GMP-compatible Pichia pastoris protocol and radiolabelled with 125 I, or with 111 In via DOTA linked to a C-terminal cysteine. BALB/c mice were injected with radiolabelled G3 and tissue biodistribution was evaluated by gamma counting. The lead construct ((HE) 3 -G3) was assessed in mice bearing HER2-positive human breast tumour (BT474) xenografts. For both isotopes, (HE) 3 -G3 had significantly lower liver uptake than His 6 -G3 and untagged G3 counterparts in non-tumour-bearing mice, and there was no significantly different liver uptake between His 6 -G3 and untagged G3. (HE) 3 -G3 was taken forward for evaluation in mice bearing HER2-positive tumour xenografts. The results demonstrated that radioactivity from 111 In-(HE) 3 -G3 was better maintained in tumours and cleared faster from serum than radioactivity from 125 I-(HE) 3 -G3, achieving superior tumour-to-blood ratios (343.7 ± 161.3 vs. 22.0 ± 11.3 at 24 h, respectively). On microSPECT/CT, 111 In-labelled and 125 I-labelled (HE) 3 -G3 could image HER2-positive tumours at 4 h after administration, but there was less normal tissue uptake of radioactivity with 111 In-(HE) 3 -G3. Preadministration of trastuzumab did not

  15. Targeting GPR110 in HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-01

    34assay"using"the"transwell" inserts"with" (A)"or"without" (B)"matrigel" for"SKBR3" cells "transfected"with"nonAtarge1ng"( NT1 )"orŗ"independent"GPR110"siRNAs...HER2 drug resistant cells and in tumorigenic population using a broad panel of cell line models. We have successfully generated inducible lentiviral...plasmids with GPR110 cDNA and cell lines that inducibly overexpress GPR110. Generation of cell lines with lentiviral plasmids containing GPR110

  16. Effective Treatment of Solitary Pituitary Metastasis with Panhypopituitarism in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer by Lapatinib.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Youngmok; Kim, Hyemin; Kim, Eui-Hyun; Suh, Chang-Ok; Lee, Soohyeon

    2016-01-01

    Brain metastasis affects one third of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer after treatment with trastuzumab. Surgical resection and radiation therapy are often unsuccessful at accomplishing complete control of metastasis. Lapatinib is presumed to cross the blood-brain barrier, and exhibits clinical activities for treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. A 43-year-old woman was treated for early breast carcinoma with total mastectomy, axillary lymph-node dissection, and adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide plus doxorubicin. After the end of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy, she was diagnosed with panhypopituitarism due to pituitary metastasis. Surgical removal and whole brain radiation therapy were performed, but a portion of viable tumor remained. Only taking lapatinib, the size of the metastatic lesion began to shrink. Trastuzumab may have controlled the micro-metastasis of breast cancer, but it was unable to control its progression to the central nervous system. Lapatinib is a possible option for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients with brain metastasis.

  17. Synthesis, characterization and in vitro evaluation of exquisite targeting SPIONs–PEG–HER in HER2+ human breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almaki, Javad Hamzehalipour; Nasiri, Rozita; Idris, Ani; Majid, Fadzilah Adibah Abdul; Wong, Tet Soon; Salouti, Mojtaba; Dabagh, Shadab; Marvibaigi, Mohsen; Amini, Neda

    2016-01-01

    A stable, biocompatible and exquisite SPIONs–PEG–HER targeting complex was developed. Initially synthesized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were silanized using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS) as the coupling agent in order to allow the covalent bonding of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the SPIONs to improve the biocompatibility of the SPIONs. SPIONs–PEG were then conjugated with herceptin (HER) to permit the SPIONs–PEG–HER to target the specific receptors expressed over the surface of the HER2+ metastatic breast cancer cells. Each preparation step was physico-chemically analyzed and characterized by a number of analytical methods including AAS, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, FESEM, TEM, DLS and VSM. The biocompatibility of SPIONs–PEG–HER was evaluated in vitro on HSF-1184 (human skin fibroblast cells), SK-BR-3 (human breast cancer cells, HER+), MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer cells, HER−) and MDA-MB-468 (human breast cancer cells, HER−) cell lines by performing MTT and trypan blue assays. The hemolysis analysis results of the SPIONs–PEG–HER and SPIONs–PEG did not indicate any sign of lysis while in contact with erythrocytes. Additionally, there were no morphological changes seen in RBCs after incubation with SPIONs–PEG–HER and SPIONs–PEG under a light microscope. The qualitative and quantitative in vitro targeting studies confirmed the high level of SPION–PEG–HER binding to SK-BR-3 (HER2+ metastatic breast cancer cells). Thus, the results reflected that the SPIONs–PEG–HER can be chosen as a favorable biomaterial for biomedical applications, chiefly magnetic hyperthermia, in the future. (paper)

  18. Machine learning approaches to decipher hormone and HER2 receptor status phenotypes in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adabor, Emmanuel S; Acquaah-Mensah, George K

    2017-10-16

    Breast cancer prognosis and administration of therapies are aided by knowledge of hormonal and HER2 receptor status. Breast cancer lacking estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and HER2 receptors are difficult to treat. Regarding large data repositories such as The Cancer Genome Atlas, available wet-lab methods for establishing the presence of these receptors do not always conclusively cover all available samples. To this end, we introduce median-supplement methods to identify hormonal and HER2 receptor status phenotypes of breast cancer patients using gene expression profiles. In these approaches, supplementary instances based on median patient gene expression are introduced to balance a training set from which we build simple models to identify the receptor expression status of patients. In addition, for the purpose of benchmarking, we examine major machine learning approaches that are also applicable to the problem of finding receptor status in breast cancer. We show that our methods are robust and have high sensitivity with extremely low false-positive rates compared with the well-established methods. A successful application of these methods will permit the simultaneous study of large collections of samples of breast cancer patients as well as save time and cost while standardizing interpretation of outcomes of such studies. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. HER-2 protein concentrations in breast cancer cells increase before immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis turn positive

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Dorte A; Østergaard, Birthe; Bokmand, Susanne

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The level of HER-2/neu in breast cancer cells is normally measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). It determines whether patients should be treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin). In this study, HER-2 protein in breast cancer tissue...

  20. Complete response in HER2+ leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from breast cancer with intrathecal trastuzumab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Mafalda; Braga, Sofia; Passos-Coelho, José Luís; Fonseca, Ricardo; Oliveira, João

    2011-06-01

    Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against the HER2 receptor, is a major breakthrough in the treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. However, its high molecular weight precludes it from crossing the intact blood-brain barrier, making the central nervous system a sanctuary to HER2+ breast cancer metastases. We prospectively assessed functional outcome and toxicity of administering trastuzumab directly into the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) and brain metastases from HER2+ breast cancer that had already been treated with other intrathecal chemotherapy, with no benefit. Upon signed informed consent, weekly lumbar puncture with administration of trastuzumab 25 mg was begun to a 44 year-old women with metastatic breast cancer (lymph node, bone, lung, and liver involvement) previously treated with tamoxifen, letrozole, anthracyclines, taxanes, capecitabine, intravenous trastuzumab, and lapatinib. She received 67 weekly administrations of intrathecal trastuzumab with marked clinical improvement and no adverse events. She survived 27 months after LC diagnosis. A complete leptomeningeal response, with no evidence of leptomeningeal metastasis at necropsy, was achieved. We believe that intrathecal trastuzumab administration should be prospectively evaluated to confirm clinical activity and optimize dose, schedule, and duration of treatment.

  1. Coping with uncertainty: T1a,bN0M0 HER2-positive breast cancer, do we have a treatment threshold?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Kelly, C M

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND: Recent retrospective studies have suggested that patients with T1a,bN0M0 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer are at a higher risk for recurrence and might benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab. The absolute benefits associated with treating this subgroup are uncertain. Design: We reviewed recent studies examining the prognostic value of HER2 in patients with node-negative T1a,b HER2-positive breast cancer. We calculated the number needed to treat (NNT) using baseline risk estimates for untreated T1a,bN0M0 breast cancer and the number needed to harm (NNH) using the incidence of cardiac events in each of the adjuvant trastuzumab clinical trials. RESULTS: Several studies were identified, each with limitations inherent to retrospective database analyses: small cohort sizes, lack of systematic HER2 testing in older specimens, variations in the use of adjuvant therapy and definitions of study end points, and lack of information relating to comorbidities. The 5-year disease-free survival in the pre-trastuzumab era ranged from 77% to 95%. Comparisons between small HER2 -positive and small HER2 -negative cancers showed numerically worse outcome for the HER2-positive cohort in some but not all studies. In many instances, the NNH was larger (26-250) than the NNT (13-35); however, in a subset of patients, the NNH was lower (6) than the NNT (13-35). CONCLUSIONS: Better prediction tools to estimate more precisely the risk for death due to comorbid illness versus breast cancer are needed. In some patients, the risks of therapy could outweigh the benefits. Treatment selection for T1a,bN0 HER2-positive cancers remains in the transition area between evidence- and subjective judgment-based medicine.

  2. Cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation correlates with HER2 overexpression and mediates estrogen-dependent breast cancer cell growth.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Caiazza, Francesco

    2010-05-01

    Cytosolic phospholipase A(2)alpha (cPLA(2)alpha) catalyzes the hydrolysis of membrane glycerol-phospholipids to release arachidonic acid as the first step of the eicosanoid signaling pathway. This pathway contributes to proliferation in breast cancer, and numerous studies have demonstrated a crucial role of cyclooxygenase 2 and prostaglandin E(2) release in breast cancer progression. The role of cPLA(2)alpha activation is less clear, and we recently showed that 17beta-estradiol (E2) can rapidly activate cPLA(2)alpha in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Overexpression or gene amplification of HER2 is found in approximately 30% of breast cancer patients and correlates with a poor clinical outcome and resistance to endocrine therapy. This study reports the first evidence for a correlation between cPLA(2)alpha enzymatic activity and overexpression of the HER2 receptor. The activation of cPLA(2)alpha in response to E2 treatment was biphasic with the first phase dependent on trans-activation through the matrix metalloproteinase-dependent release of heparin-bound epidermal growth factor. EGFR\\/HER2 heterodimerization resulted in downstream signaling through the ERK1\\/2 cascade to promote cPLA(2)alpha phosphorylation at Ser505. There was a correlation between HER2 and cPLA(2)alpha expression in six breast cancer cell lines examined, and inhibition of HER2 activation or expression in the SKBR3 cell line using herceptin or HER2-specific small interfering RNA, respectively, resulted in decreased activation and expression of cPLA(2)alpha. Pharmacological blockade of cPLA(2)alpha using a specific antagonist suppressed the growth of both MCF-7 and SKBR3 cells by reducing E2-induced proliferation and by stimulating cellular apoptosis and necrosis. This study highlights cPLAalpha(2) as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in endocrine-dependent and endocrine-independent breast cancer.

  3. HER2 aberrations and heterogeneity in cancers of the digestive system: Implications for pathologists and gastroenterologists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fusco, Nicola; Bosari, Silvano

    2016-09-21

    Management of cancers of the digestive system has progressed rapidly into the molecular era. Despite the significant recent achievements in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients, the number of deaths for these tumors has currently plateaued. Many investigations have assessed the role of HER2 in tumors of the digestive system in both prognostic and therapeutic settings, with heterogeneous results. Novel testing and treatment guidelines are emerging, in particular in gastric and colorectal cancers. However, further advances are needed. In this review we provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-knowledge of HER2 alterations in the most common tumors of the digestive system and discuss the operational implications of HER2 testing.

  4. Quantitative Evaluation of Serum and Tissue HER-2/neu in Patients with Breast Cancer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šimíčková, M.; Nekulová, M.; Pecen, Ladislav; Vagundová, M.; Jandáková, E.; Pačovský, Z.; Petráková, K.

    2002-01-01

    Roč. 17, č. 3 (2002), s. 132-133 ISSN 0886-3849. [International Conference on Human Tumor Markers /19./. 25.08.2002-29.08.2002, Velje] Institutional research plan: AV0Z1030915 Keywords : breast cancer * HER-2/neu Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

  5. Comparison of Chromogenic In Situ Hybridisation with Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation and Immunohistochemistry for the Assessment of Her-2/neu Oncogene in Archival Material of Breast Carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pothos, Alexios; Plastira, Konstantina; Plastiras, Aris; Vlachodimitropoulos, Dimitrios; Goutas, Nikolaos; Angelopoulou, Roxani

    2008-01-01

    The successful treatment of breast cancer is dependent upon a number of complex factors. Her-2/neu gene amplification is known to be one of the most common genetic alterations associated with breast cancer and its accurate determination has become necessary for the selection of patients for trastuzumab therapy. The aim of this study was to prove the consistency of chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH) technique after analyzing the overexpression of the Her-2/neu proto-oncogene in 100 invasive breast carcinomas and by comparing CISH results with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Moreover, it was done to evaluate the possible correlation of estrogen (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs), the proliferation marker Ki67 and the tumour suppressor gene p53 with HER-2/neu status of these breast carcinomas. Of the 100 breast carcinomas that were analysed, 22 cases showed HER-2/neu amplification, 66 cases showed no amplification, whereas 12 cases were non-interpretable in both assays (FISH and CISH). Consequently, the overall concordance between FISH and CISH was 100%. Additionally, it was observed that when HER-2/neu gene was overexpressed, there was an association with negative PRs and ERs status, negative p53 protein expression and high Ki67 labelling index. It is concluded that patients with tumours scoring 2+ with the CBE356 antibody (borderline immunohistochemistry-tested cases) would also benefit from CISH as it is shown to be highly accurate, practical and can be easily integrated into routine testing in any histopathology laboratory. Finally, CISH represents an important addition to the HER2 testing algorithm

  6. Validation of a Fully Automated HER2 Staining Kit in Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cathy B. Moelans

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Testing for HER2 amplification and/or overexpression is currently routine practice to guide Herceptin therapy in invasive breast cancer. At present, HER2 status is most commonly assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC. Standardization of HER2 IHC assays is of utmost clinical and economical importance. At present, HER2 IHC is most commonly performed with the HercepTest which contains a polyclonal antibody and applies a manual staining procedure. Analytical variability in HER2 IHC testing could be diminished by a fully automatic staining system with a monoclonal antibody.

  7. Overview of the trastuzumab (Herceptin) anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody clinical program in HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin Multinational Investigator Study Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shak, S

    1999-08-01

    The recombinant humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech, San Francisco, CA) was evaluated in human clinical trials for treatment of women with metastatic breast cancer who have tumors that overexpress HER2. The trastuzumab clinical program consisted of a series of phase I, phase II, and phase III clinical trials. Clinical experience with this novel biologic has been obtained in more than 1,000 women with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Two pivotal trials were performed to evaluate trastuzumab efficacy and safety: (1) trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line therapy and (2) trastuzumab as a single agent in second- and third-line chemotherapy. Preliminary results of the pivotal clinical trials that have been presented at national meetings are summarized below. The data suggest that trastuzumab will be an important new treatment option for women with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer.

  8. Comparison of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization for Low and High Throughput HER2 Genetic Testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Tim S; Espersen, Maiken Lise Marcker; Kofoed, Vibeke

    2013-01-01

    cancer patients with HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) results scored as 0/1+, 2+, and 3+. HER2 genetic status was analysed using chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Scoring results were documented through digital image analysis. The cancer region...

  9. Prognostic Impact of VEGFA Germline Polymorphisms in Patients with HER2-positive Primary Breast Cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maae, Else; Andersen, Rikke Fredslund; Dahl Steffensen, Karina

    2012-01-01

    Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) is essential in tumour angiogenesis, and polymorphisms in the VEGFA gene have been associated with breast cancer prognosis. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in breast tumours and is also associated with a...

  10. TIMP-1 in combination with HER2 and TOP2A for prediction of benefit from adjuvant anthracyclines in high-risk breast cancer patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hertel, Pernille Bræmer; Tu, Dongsheng; Ejlertsen, Bent Laursen

    2012-01-01

    HER2 amplification, TOP2A aberrations, and absence of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) expression in breast carcinomas have been shown to be associated with incremental benefit from anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy, and this study was undertaken to validate...... treatment interaction was detected for OS (P = 0.01). With this study, we validate a more substantial reduction in mortality by CEF compared to CMF in patients with an HT- or 2T-responsive profile; however, we could not show a similarly significant reduction in RFS events, where a benefit of CEF over CMF...

  11. Soluble HER-2/neu in Tissue Extracts and Serum of Patients with Breast Cancer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šimíčková, M.; Nekulová, M.; Pecen, Ladislav; Vagundová, M.; Jandáková, E.; Petráková, K.

    2002-01-01

    Roč. 5, - (2002), s. 97 ISSN 1211-8869. [Central European Conference on Human Tumor Markers /4./. 13.02.2003-16.02.2003, Karlovy Vary] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1030915 Keywords : tumor prognose * HER-2 * breast cancer Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research

  12. Alphavirus replicon particles containing the gene for HER2/neu inhibit breast cancer growth and tumorigenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Xiaoyan; Wang, Jian-Ping; Maughan, Maureen F; Lachman, Lawrence B

    2005-01-01

    Overexpression of the HER2/neu gene in breast cancer is associated with an increased incidence of metastatic disease and with a poor prognosis. Although passive immunotherapy with the humanized monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) has shown some effect, a vaccine capable of inducing T-cell and humoral immunity could be more effective. Virus-like replicon particles (VRP) of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus containing the gene for HER2/neu (VRP-neu) were tested by an active immunotherapeutic approach in tumor prevention models and in a metastasis prevention model. VRP-neu prevented or significantly inhibited the growth of HER2/neu-expressing murine breast cancer cells injected either into mammary tissue or intravenously. Vaccination with VRP-neu completely prevented tumor formation in and death of MMTV-c-neu transgenic mice, and resulted in high levels of neu-specific CD8 + T lymphocytes and serum IgG. On the basis of these findings, clinical testing of this vaccine in patients with HER2/neu + breast cancer is warranted

  13. HER-2, ER, PR status concordance in primary breast cancer and corresponding metastatic lesion in lymph node in Chinese women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Min Hua; Hou, Chuan Ling; Wang, Cheng; Sun, Ai Jing

    2016-04-01

    To compare the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) in the primary site and the metastatic lesion of lymph nodes in invasive breast cancer for investigating whether the expression of these biomarkers in the primary site could act as a surrogate to the lymphatic metastatic lesion in the same patient. In lymphatic metastatic lesion and corresponding primary lesion of 107 cases of invasive breast cancer, ER and PR statuses were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). HER-2 expression level was evaluated by IHC and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In the primary lesions, 43.9% were ER positive; 46.7% were PR positive; 34.6% were HER-2 positive. In corresponding lymphatic metastatic lesions, the HER-2 status was concordant in 90 patients; 9 patients were diagnosed positive in metastatic lesion while negative in primary lesion; 8 patients were negative in metastatic lesion while positive in primary site (agreement, 84.1%; κ=0.647). A change in ER status was observed in 24 cases: 17 cases positive in metastatic site while negative in primary site; 7 cases negative in metastatic site while positive in primary site (agreement, 77.6%; κ=0.534). PR status discordance between the primary lesion and the metastatic regional lymph nodes was reported in 19 cases (agreement, 82.2%; κ=0.640). This study revealed that there was only a moderate concordance of ER, PR and HER-2 status between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes. These results indicate that it was inappropriate to predict the status of ER, PR and HER-2 in metastatic lymph nodes based on the results of evaluation of that in primary lesions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Impact of postoperative radiotherapy and HER2/new overexpression in salivary duct carcinoma. A monocentric clinicopathologic analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haderlein, Marlen; Semrau, Sabine; Lettmaier, Sebastian; Hecht, Markus; Fietkau, Rainer [University Hospital of Erlangen, Department of Radiation Oncology, Erlangen (Germany); Scherl, Claudia; Iro, Heinrich [University Hospital of Erlangen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Erlangen (Germany); Erber, Ramona; Agaimy, Abbas [University Hospital of Erlangen, Institute of Pathology, Erlangen (Germany)

    2017-11-15

    Retrospective Investigation of the prognostic relevance of clinicopathologic parameters in patients with salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). An experienced pathologist reviewed 67 patients with de novo SDC or SDC ex pleomorphic adenoma. Paraffin-embedded tumor samples were examined by immunohistochemistry for expression of HER2/neu, androgen (AR), progesterone (PR), estrogen (ER), epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1-R) receptor. In 45 patients who had cM0 and follow-up data available, survival rates were calculated (Kaplan-Meier method) and prognostic variables were analyzed (univariate analysis: log-rank test; multivariate analysis: Cox-regression analysis). Overexpression of HER2/neu, AR, ER, PR, EGFR, PD-L1-R was found in 25.4%, 84%, 0%, 0%, 17.9%, 16.4% of patients. Overall (OS), disease-free (DFS), distant-metastases-free survival (DMFS) and locoregional control (LRC) were 92.3/72.4/56.9%, 78.2/58.1/58.1%, 85.4/65.2/65.2% and 89.7/81.9/81.9% after 1/3/5 years (medial follow-up 26 months). In univariate analysis a positive resection margin (p = 0.008) and no postoperative radiotherapy (p = 0.001) predict an increased locoregional recurrence rate. In multivariate analysis only postoperative radiotherapy is statistically significant (p = 0.004). Presence of lymph node metastases, a lymph node density >4 and HER2/neu overexpression predict decreased DFS and DMFS. In multivariate HER2/neu overexpression was the only significant predictor for reduced DFS (p = 0.04) and DMFS (p = 0.02). Postoperative radiotherapy is the only significant predictor for LRC. HER2/neu receptor expression is an independent prognostic factor for decreased DFS and DMFS in patients with SDC. In addition to radio(chemo)therapy, intensified first-line treatment regimens should also be evaluated in the future. (orig.) [German] In dieser retrospektiven Auswertung wurde der Einfluss klinisch-pathologischer Parameter auf die Prognose von Patienten mit

  15. Safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy findings in an open-label, single-arm study of weekly paclitaxel plus lapatinib as first-line therapy for Japanese women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Kenichi; Kuroi, Katsumasa; Shimizu, Satoru; Rai, Yoshiaki; Aogi, Kenjiro; Masuda, Norikazu; Nakayama, Takahiro; Iwata, Hiroji; Nishimura, Yuichiro; Armour, Alison; Sasaki, Yasutsuna

    2015-12-01

    Lapatinib is the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) targeting agent approved globally for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of lapatinib combined with paclitaxel (L+P) were investigated in this study, to establish clear evidence regarding the combination in Japanese patients. In this two-part, single-arm, open-label study, the tolerability of L+P as first-line treatment in Japanese patients with HER2-positive MBC was evaluated in six patients in the first part, and the safety, efficacy and PK were evaluated in a further six patients (making a total of twelve patients) in the second part. Eligible women were enrolled and received lapatinib 1500 mg once daily and paclitaxel 80 mg/m(2) weekly for at least 6 cycles. The only dose-limiting toxicity reported was Grade 3 diarrhea in one patient. The systemic exposure to maximum plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC) for lapatinib, as well as the AUC of paclitaxel, were increased when combined. The most common adverse events (AEs) related to the study treatment were alopecia, diarrhea and decreased hemoglobin. The majority of drug-related AEs were Grade 1 or 2. The median overall survival was 35.6 months (95 % confidence interval 23.9, not reached). The response rate and clinical benefit rate were both 83 % (95 % confidence interval 51.6, 97.9). The L+P treatment was well tolerated in Japanese patients with HER2-positive MBC. Although the PK profiles of lapatinib and paclitaxel influenced each other, the magnitudes were not greatly different from those in non-Japanese patients.

  16. Real-world effectiveness of everolimus-based therapy versus fulvestrant monotherapy in HR(+)/HER2(-) metastatic breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Yanni; Lin, Peggy L; Xie, Jipan; Li, Nanxin; Koo, Valerie; Ohashi, Erika; Wu, Eric Q; Rogerio, Jaqueline

    2015-08-01

    Assessing real-world effectiveness of everolimus-based therapy (EVE) versus fulvestrant monotherapy (FUL) among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR(+))/HER2(-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) after progression on nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI). Medical charts of community-based patients who received EVE or FUL for mBC after NSAI were examined. Progression-free survival (PFS), time on treatment and time to chemotherapy were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for line of therapy and patient characteristics. 192 patients received EVE and 156 FUL. After adjusting for patient characteristics, EVE was associated with significantly longer PFS than FUL (hazard ratio: 0.71; p = 0.045). EVE was associated with better PFS than FUL among NSAI-refractory postmenopausal HR(+)/HER2(-) mBC patients.

  17. 47 CFR 2.815 - External radio frequency power amplifiers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false External radio frequency power amplifiers. 2... AND RADIO TREATY MATTERS; GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS Marketing of Radio-frequency Devices § 2.815 External radio frequency power amplifiers. (a) As used in this part, an external radio frequency power...

  18. Docosahexaenoic Acid Modulates a HER2-Associated Lipogenic Phenotype, Induces Apoptosis, and Increases Trastuzumab Action in HER2-Overexpressing Breast Carcinoma Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravacci, Graziela Rosa; Brentani, Maria Mitzi; Tortelli, Tharcisio Citrângulo; Torrinhas, Raquel Suzana M M; Santos, Jéssica Reis; Logullo, Angela Flávia; Waitzberg, Dan Linetzky

    2015-01-01

    In breast cancer, lipid metabolic alterations have been recognized as potential oncogenic stimuli that may promote malignancy. To investigate whether the oncogenic nature of lipogenesis closely depends on the overexpression of HER2 protooncogene, the normal breast cell line, HB4a, was transfected with HER2 cDNA to obtain HER2-overexpressing HB4aC5.2 cells. Both cell lines were treated with trastuzumab and docosahexaenoic acid. HER2 overexpression was accompanied by an increase in the expression of lipogenic genes involved in uptake (CD36), transport (FABP4), and storage (DGAT) of exogenous fatty acids (FA), as well as increased activation of "de novo" FA synthesis (FASN). We further investigate whether this lipogenesis reprogramming might be regulated by mTOR/PPARγ pathway. Inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway markers, p70S6 K1, SREBP1, and LIPIN1, as well as an increase in DEPTOR expression (the main inhibitor of the mTOR) was detected in HB4aC5.2. Based on these results, a PPARγ selective antagonist, GW9662, was used to treat both cells lines, and the lipogenic genes remained overexpressed in the HB4aC5.2 but not HB4a cells. DHA treatment inhibited all lipogenic genes (except for FABP4) in both cell lines yet only induced death in the HB4aC5.2 cells, mainly when associated with trastuzumab. Neither trastuzumab nor GW9662 alone was able to induce cell death. In conclusion, oncogenic transformation of breast cells by HER2 overexpression may require a reprogramming of lipogenic genetic that is independent of mTORC1 pathway and PPARγ activity. This reprogramming was inhibited by DHA.

  19. Docosahexaenoic Acid Modulates a HER2-Associated Lipogenic Phenotype, Induces Apoptosis, and Increases Trastuzumab Action in HER2-Overexpressing Breast Carcinoma Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graziela Rosa Ravacci

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In breast cancer, lipid metabolic alterations have been recognized as potential oncogenic stimuli that may promote malignancy. To investigate whether the oncogenic nature of lipogenesis closely depends on the overexpression of HER2 protooncogene, the normal breast cell line, HB4a, was transfected with HER2 cDNA to obtain HER2-overexpressing HB4aC5.2 cells. Both cell lines were treated with trastuzumab and docosahexaenoic acid. HER2 overexpression was accompanied by an increase in the expression of lipogenic genes involved in uptake (CD36, transport (FABP4, and storage (DGAT of exogenous fatty acids (FA, as well as increased activation of “de novo” FA synthesis (FASN. We further investigate whether this lipogenesis reprogramming might be regulated by mTOR/PPARγ pathway. Inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway markers, p70S6 K1, SREBP1, and LIPIN1, as well as an increase in DEPTOR expression (the main inhibitor of the mTOR was detected in HB4aC5.2. Based on these results, a PPARγ selective antagonist, GW9662, was used to treat both cells lines, and the lipogenic genes remained overexpressed in the HB4aC5.2 but not HB4a cells. DHA treatment inhibited all lipogenic genes (except for FABP4 in both cell lines yet only induced death in the HB4aC5.2 cells, mainly when associated with trastuzumab. Neither trastuzumab nor GW9662 alone was able to induce cell death. In conclusion, oncogenic transformation of breast cells by HER2 overexpression may require a reprogramming of lipogenic genetic that is independent of mTORC1 pathway and PPARγ activity. This reprogramming was inhibited by DHA.

  20. Immunotherapy with a HER2-Targeting Listeria Induces HER2-Specific Immunity and Demonstrates Potential Therapeutic Effects in a Phase I Trial in Canine Osteosarcoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, Nicola J; Gnanandarajah, Josephine S; Engiles, Julie B; Gray, Falon; Laughlin, Danielle; Gaurnier-Hausser, Anita; Wallecha, Anu; Huebner, Margie; Paterson, Yvonne

    2016-09-01

    Recombinant Listeria vaccines induce tumor-specific T-cell responses that eliminate established tumors and prevent metastatic disease in murine cancer models. We used dogs with HER2/neu(+) appendicular osteosarcoma, a well-recognized spontaneous model for pediatric osteosarcoma, to determine whether a highly attenuated, recombinant Listeria monocytogenes expressing a chimeric human HER2/neu fusion protein (ADXS31-164) could safely induce HER2/neu-specific immunity and prevent metastatic disease. Eighteen dogs that underwent limb amputation or salvage surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in a phase I dose escalation clinical trial and received either 2 × 10(8), 5 × 10(8), 1 × 10(9), or 3.3 × 10(9) CFU of ADXS31-164 intravenously every 3 weeks for 3 administrations. Only low-grade, transient toxicities were observed. ADXS31-164 broke peripheral tolerance and induced antigen-specific IFNγ responses against the intracellular domain of HER2/neu in 15 of 18 dogs within 6 months of treatment. Furthermore, ADXS31-164 reduced the incidence of metastatic disease and significantly increased duration of survival time and 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates when compared with a historical control group with HER2/neu(+) appendicular osteosarcoma treated with amputation and chemotherapy alone. These findings demonstrate that ADXS31-164 administered in the setting of minimal residual disease can induce HER2/neu-specific immunity and may reduce the incidence of metastatic disease and prolong overall survival in a clinically relevant, spontaneous, large animal model of cancer. These findings, therefore, have important translational relevance for children with osteosarcoma and adults with other HER2/neu(+) cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 22(17); 4380-90. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  1. 2 years versus 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer (HERA)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goldhirsch, Aron; Gelber, Richard D; Piccart-Gebhart, Martine J

    2013-01-01

    Trastuzumab has established efficacy against breast cancer with overexpression or amplification of the HER2 oncogene. The standard of care is 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab, but the optimum duration of treatment is unknown. We compared 2 years of treatment with trastuzumab with 1 year of treatment......, and updated the comparison of 1 year of trastuzumab versus observation at a median follow-up of 8 years, for patients enrolled in the HERceptin Adjuvant (HERA) trial....

  2. A systematic review of trastuzumab and lapatinib in the treatment of women with brain metastases from HER2-positive breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Pia Bükmann; Kümler, Iben; Nielsen, Dorte Lisbet

    2013-01-01

    Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer are living still longer and increasingly experiencing brain metastases. Current HER2-targeted therapies have limited potential to cross the blood-brain-barrier. We performed a systematic review to investigate data on HER2-targeting therapies in the treatm......, it is still not evident which HER2-targeting agent should be preferred when brain metastases occur. The choice of chemotherapy to accompany the blockade is not obvious and we do not know if dual is better than single blockade. Further clinical trials are urgently needed....

  3. Development of the designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3 for HER2 molecular imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldstein, Robert; Livanos, Maria; Bhavsar, Gaurav; Rashid, Mohammed; Miranda, Enrique; Tolner, Berend; Meyer, Tim; Chester, Kerry [UCL Cancer Institute, London (United Kingdom); Sosabowski, Jane; Leyton, Julius; Mather, Stephen [Queen Mary University of London, Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, London (United Kingdom); Vigor, Kim [Clare Hall Laboratories, Biotherapeutics Development Unit, Cancer Research UK, South Mimms (United Kingdom); Nagy-Davidescu, Gabriela; Plueckthun, Andreas [Universitaet Zuerich, Biochemisches Institut, Zuerich (Switzerland); Yeung, Jenny [UCL Cancer Institute, London (United Kingdom); UCL Institute of Child Health, London (United Kingdom)

    2014-11-13

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpression is a predictor of response to anti-HER2 therapy in breast and gastric cancer. Currently, HER2 status is assessed by tumour biopsy, but this may not be representative of the larger tumour mass or other metastatic sites, risking misclassification and selection of suboptimal therapy. The designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) G3 binds HER2 with high affinity at an epitope that does not overlap with trastuzumab and is biologically inert. We hypothesized that radiolabelled DARPin G3 would be capable of selectively imaging HER2-positive tumours, and aimed to identify a suitable format for clinical application. G3 DARPins tagged with hexahistidine (His{sub 6}) or with histidine glutamate (HE){sub 3} and untagged G3 DARPins were manufactured using a GMP-compatible Pichia pastoris protocol and radiolabelled with {sup 125}I, or with {sup 111}In via DOTA linked to a C-terminal cysteine. BALB/c mice were injected with radiolabelled G3 and tissue biodistribution was evaluated by gamma counting. The lead construct ((HE){sub 3}-G3) was assessed in mice bearing HER2-positive human breast tumour (BT474) xenografts. For both isotopes, (HE){sub 3}-G3 had significantly lower liver uptake than His{sub 6}-G3 and untagged G3 counterparts in non-tumour-bearing mice, and there was no significantly different liver uptake between His{sub 6}-G3 and untagged G3. (HE){sub 3}-G3 was taken forward for evaluation in mice bearing HER2-positive tumour xenografts. The results demonstrated that radioactivity from {sup 111}In-(HE){sub 3}-G3 was better maintained in tumours and cleared faster from serum than radioactivity from {sup 125}I-(HE){sub 3}-G3, achieving superior tumour-to-blood ratios (343.7 ± 161.3 vs. 22.0 ± 11.3 at 24 h, respectively). On microSPECT/CT, {sup 111}In-labelled and {sup 125}I-labelled (HE){sub 3}-G3 could image HER2-positive tumours at 4 h after administration, but there was less normal tissue uptake of

  4. Caring for cancer patients on non-specialist wards.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Gill, Finola

    2012-02-01

    As cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, every nurse will be required to care for patients with the condition at some point in his\\/her career. However, non-specialized oncology nurses are often ill-prepared to nurse patients suffering from cancer. This literature review aims to provide an overview of current trends and developments in cancer care nursing in an attempt to identify the range of previous research pertaining to caring for patients with cancer on non-specialist wards. The review finds that non-specialized cancer nurses report a lack of education and training with regard to cancer care and cancer treatments, which acts as a barrier to providing quality nursing care. Emotional and communication issues with patients and their families can also cause non-specialist nurses significant distress. International research has shown that specialist oncology nurses make a considerable difference to physical and psychosocial patient care. It is therefore paramount that non-speciality nurses\\' educational needs are met to develop clinical competence and to provide supportive holistic care for both patients and their families.

  5. HERMIONE: a randomized Phase 2 trial of MM-302 plus trastuzumab versus chemotherapy of physician’s choice plus trastuzumab in patients with previously treated, anthracycline-naïve, HER2-positive, locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Kathy; Cortes, Javier; Hurvitz, Sara A.; Krop, Ian E.; Tripathy, Debu; Verma, Sunil; Riahi, Kaveh; Reynolds, Joseph G.; Wickham, Thomas J.; Molnar, Istvan; Yardley, Denise A.

    2016-01-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer is a particularly aggressive form of the disease, and ultimately progresses in patients with metastases on standard therapies. Anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin, are an effective treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer, particularly when administered in combination with trastuzumab – however, doxorubicin-related cardiotoxicity has limited its use. Many patients are therefore never treated with anthracyclines, even upon disease progression, despite the potential for benefit. MM-302 is a novel, HER2-targeted antibody–liposomal doxorubicin conjugate that specifically targets HER2-overexpressing cells. Preclinical and Phase 1 data suggest that MM-302, as a monotherapy or in combination with trastuzumab, could be effective for managing previously treated, anthracycline-naïve, HER2-positive breast cancer, without the cardiotoxicity observed with free doxorubicin formulations. HERMIONE is an open-label, multicenter, randomized (1:1) Phase 2 trial of MM-302 plus trastuzumab versus chemotherapy of physician’s choice (gemcitabine, capecitabine, or vinorelbine) plus trastuzumab planned to enroll 250 anthracycline-naïve patients with locally advanced/metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. Key inclusion criteria are: previous treatment with trastuzumab (with or without pertuzumab) in any setting; refractory or intolerant to pertuzumab (refractory to pertuzumab defined as progression in the locally advanced or metastatic setting, or disease recurrence during or within 12 months of completing pertuzumab-containing neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant therapy); and disease progression on, or intolerant to, ado-trastuzumab emtansine for locally advanced or metastatic disease. The trial is currently being conducted at sites in the USA, Canada, and Western Europe. Treatment will be administered in 21-day cycles, and will be continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint is

  6. Everolimus plus exemestane as first-line therapy in HR⁺, HER2⁻ advanced breast cancer in BOLERO-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, J Thaddeus; Hortobagyi, Gabriel N; Campone, Mario; Lebrun, Fabienne; Deleu, Ines; Rugo, Hope S; Pistilli, Barbara; Masuda, Norikazu; Hart, Lowell; Melichar, Bohuslav; Dakhil, Shaker; Geberth, Matthias; Nunzi, Martina; Heng, Daniel Y C; Brechenmacher, Thomas; El-Hashimy, Mona; Douma, Shyanne; Ringeisen, Francois; Piccart, Martine

    2014-02-01

    The present exploratory analysis examined the efficacy, safety, and quality-of-life effects of everolimus (EVE) + exemestane (EXE) in the subgroup of patients in BOLERO-2 whose last treatment before study entry was in the (neo)adjuvant setting. In BOLERO-2, patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR(+)), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2(-)) advanced breast cancer recurring/progressing after a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive EVE (10 mg/day) + EXE (25 mg/day) or placebo (PBO) + EXE. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) by local assessment. Overall, 137 patients received first-line EVE + EXE (n = 100) or PBO + EXE (n = 37). Median PFS by local investigator assessment nearly tripled to 11.5 months with EVE + EXE from 4.1 months with PBO + EXE (hazard ratio = 0.39; 95 % CI 0.25-0.62), while maintaining quality of life. This was confirmed by central assessment (15.2 vs 4.2 months; hazard ratio = 0.32; 95 % CI 0.18-0.57). The marked PFS improvement in patients receiving EVE + EXE as first-line therapy for disease recurrence during or after (neo)adjuvant NSAI therapy supports the efficacy of this combination in the first-line setting. Furthermore, the results highlight the potential benefit of early introduction of EVE + EXE in the management of HR(+), HER2(-) advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal patients.

  7. Overexpression of HER-2 via immunohistochemistry in canine urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma - A marker of malignancy and possible therapeutic target.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millanta, F; Impellizeri, J; McSherry, L; Rocchigiani, G; Aurisicchio, L; Lubas, G

    2018-06-01

    Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the most commonly diagnosed neoplasm in the urinary bladder. Distant metastases to the regional lymph nodes, lungs, abdominal organs or bones are noted in up to 50% of dogs at time of death. Surgical excision is often not practical as TCC typically involve the trigone of the bladder and/or occurs multifocally throughout the bladder with field cancerization. Therapeutic approaches are very challenging and the requirement to evaluate alternative therapeutic protocols that may prolong survival times in dogs bearing these tumours is compelling. We assessed the immunohistochemical expression of HER-2 in 23 cases of canine TCCs of the urinary bladder and compare it with non-neoplastic urothelium in order to evaluate a rationale for targeted therapies and gene-based vaccines. HER-2 positivity was recorded in 13/23 (56%) neoplastic lesions. The receptor was significantly overexpressed in neoplastic than in non-neoplastic samples (P = .015). According to our preliminary results, it would be of interest to further evaluate the role of HER-2 in canine TCCs as a marker of malignancy and a therapeutic target for cancer vaccine and antibodies. Moreover, the significantly different overexpression of HER-2 in TCCs than in non-neoplastic urothelium further supports to investigate its role in the progression toward malignancy of non-neoplastic lesions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. miR-630 targets IGF1R to regulate response to HER-targeting drugs and overall cancer cell progression in HER2 over-expressing breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcoran, Claire; Rani, Sweta; Breslin, Susan; Gogarty, Martina; Ghobrial, Irene M; Crown, John; O'Driscoll, Lorraine

    2014-03-24

    While the treatment of HER2 over-expressing breast cancer with recent HER-targeted drugs has been highly effective for some patients, primary (also known as innate) or acquired resistance limits the success of these drugs. microRNAs have potential as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers, as well as replacement therapies. Here we investigated the role of microRNA-630 (miR-630) in breast cancer progression and as a predictive biomarker for response to HER-targeting drugs, ultimately yielding potential as a therapeutic approach to add value to these drugs. We investigated the levels of intra- and extracellular miR-630 in cells and conditioned media from breast cancer cell lines with either innate- or acquired- resistance to HER-targeting lapatinib and neratinib, compared to their corresponding drug sensitive cell lines, using qPCR. To support the role of miR-630 in breast cancer, we examined the clinical relevance of this miRNA in breast cancer tumours versus matched peritumours. Transfection of miR-630 mimics and inhibitors was used to manipulate the expression of miR-630 to assess effects on response to HER-targeting drugs (lapatinib, neratinib and afatinib). Other phenotypic changes associated with cellular aggressiveness were evaluated by motility, invasion and anoikis assays. TargetScan prediction software, qPCR, immunoblotting and ELISAs, were used to assess miR-630's regulation of mRNA, proteins and their phosphorylated forms. We established that introducing miR-630 into cells with innate- or acquired- resistance to HER-drugs significantly restored the efficacy of lapatinib, neratinib and afatinib; through a mechanism which we have determined to, at least partly, involve miR-630's regulation of IGF1R. Conversely, we demonstrated that blocking miR-630 induced resistance/insensitivity to these drugs. Cellular motility, invasion, and anoikis were also observed as significantly altered by miR-630 manipulation, whereby introducing miR-630 into cells

  9. MRI contrast agent for molecular imaging of the HER2/neu receptor using targeted magnetic nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rasaneh, Samira; Rajabi, Hossein, E-mail: hrajabi@modares.ac.ir [Tarbiat Modares University, Department of Medical Physics (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Babaei, Mohammad Hossein [Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Department of Radioisotope (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Akhlaghpoor, Shahram [Sina Hospital, Tehran Medical University, Noor Medical Imaging Center (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2011-06-15

    In this study, Trastuzumab modified Magnetic Nanoparticles (TMNs) were prepared as a new contrast agent for detecting HER2 (Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2) expression tumors by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). TMNs were prepared based on iron oxide nanoparticles core and Trastuzumab modified dextran coating. The TMNs core and hydrodynamic size were determined by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. TMNs stability and cytotoxicity were investigated. The ability of TMNs for HER2 detection were evaluated in breast carcinoma cell lines (SKBr3 and MCF7 cells) and tumor-bearing mice by MRI and iron uptake determination. The particles core and hydrodynamic size were 9 {+-} 2.5 and 41 {+-} 15 nm (size range: 15-87 nm), respectively. The molar antibody/nanoparticle ratio was 3.1-3.5. TMNs were non-toxic to the cells below the 30 {mu}g (Fe)/mL concentration and good stable up to 8 weeks in PBS buffer. TMNs could detect HER2 oncogenes in the cells surface with imagable contrast by MRI. The invivo study in mice bearing tumors indicated that TMNs possessed a good diagnostic ability as HER2 specific contrast agent by MRI. TMNs were demonstrated to be able to selectively accumulate in the tumor cells, with a proper signal enhancement in MRI T2 images. So, the complex may be considered for further investigations as an MRI contrast agent for detection of HER2 expression tumors in human.

  10. Clinical efficacy and safety of T-DM1 for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma B

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Bo Ma,1 Qianqian Ma,2 Hongqiang Wang,3 Guolei Zhang,1 Huiying Zhang,1 Xiaohong Wang1 1Affiliated Central Hospital of Huzhou Teachers College, Huzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; 3Department of Oncology, Hospital of Zhoushan, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1 for the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer.  Methods: We performed a systemic review and meta-analysis of the relevant published clinical studies. A computerized search was performed for controlled clinical trials of T-DM1 in targeted treatment. Overall survival, progression-free survival, objective response rate, symptom progression free, and adverse events (AEs were evaluated.  Results: Eight eligible trials with a total of 2,016 patients with breast cancer were included in the present meta-analysis. The treatment of patients with breast cancer with T-DM1 was associated with significantly increased overall and progression-free survival when compared with controls (P<0.0001. An analysis of the objective response rate and symptom progression free also demonstrated favorable results for T-DM1 treatment (P≤0.0001. There was no significant difference between the T-DM1 and control groups with respect to nonhematologic or hematologic AEs (P=0.99 and P=0.30, respectively.  Conclusion: Overall, T-DM1 is efficacious in the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and low rates of AEs compared with controls. Keywords: breast cancer, meta-analysis, HER2, T-DM1, efficacy

  11. Development of a Targeted anti-HER2 scFv Chimeric Peptide for Gene Delivery into HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Cells.

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    Cheraghi, Roya; Nazari, Mahboobeh; Alipour, Mohsen; Majidi, Asia; Hosseinkhani, Saman

    2016-12-30

    Chimeric polymers are known as suitable carriers for gene delivery. Certain properties are critical for a polymer to be used as a gene delivery vector. A new polymer was designed for the targeted delivery of genes into breast cancer cell lines, based on MPG peptide. It is composed of different functional domains, including HIV gp41, nuclear localization sequence of SV40 T-antigen, two C-terminus repeats of histone H1, and the scFv of anti-HER2 antibody. The results demonstrated that the vector can effectively condense plasmid DNA into nanoparticles with an average size of 250nm. Moreover, fusion of the scFv portion to the carrier brought about the specific recognition of HER2. Overall, the transfection efficiency of the vector demonstrated that it could deliver the desired gene into BT-474 HER2-positive breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Functional Imaging of HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Using 64Cu-DOTA-Trastuzumab Positron Emission Tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortimer, Joanne E.; Bading, James R.; Colcher, David M.; Conti, Peter S.; Frankel, Paul H.; Carroll, Mary I.; Tong, Shan; Poku, Erasmus; Miles, Joshua K.; Shively, John E.; Raubitschek, Andrew A.

    2014-01-01

    Women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer are candidates for treatment with the anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab. Assessment of HER2 status in recurrent disease is usually made by core needle biopsy of a single lesion which may not be representative of the larger tumor mass or other sites of disease. Our long-range goal is to develop positron emission tomography (PET) of radiolabeled trastuzumab for systemically assessing tumor HER2 expression and identifying appropriate use of anti-HER2 therapies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate PET-CT of 64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab for detecting and measuring tumor uptake of trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Methods Eight women with biopsy-confirmed HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and no anti-HER2 therapy for ≥ 4 mo underwent complete staging, including 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)/PET-CT. For 6 of the 8 patients, 64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab injection (364-512 MBq, 5 mg trastuzumab) was preceded by trastuzumab infusion (45 mg). PET-CT (PET scan duration 1 h) was performed 21-25 (“Day 1”) and 47-49 (“Day 2”) h after 64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab injection. Scan fields of view were chosen based on 18F-FDG/PET-CT. Lesions visualized relative to adjacent tissue on PET were considered PET-positive; analysis was limited to lesions identifiable on CT. Radiolabel uptake in prominent lesions was measured as maximum single-voxel standardized uptake value (SUVmax). Results Liver uptake of 64Cu was reduced approximately 75% with the 45 mg trastuzumab pre-dose, without significant effect on tumor uptake. The study included 89 CT-positive lesions; detection sensitivity was 77, 89 and 93% for Day 1, Day 2 and 18F-FDG, respectively. On average, tumor uptake was similar for 64Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab and 18F-FDG [SUVmax (mean, range): Day 1 (8.1, 3.0-22.5, n=48); Day 2 (8.9, 0.9-28.9, n=38); 18F-FDG (9.7, 3.3-25.4, n=56)], but the extent of same-lesion uptake was not

  13. The Effect of Early Detection of Occult Brain Metastases in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients on Survival and Cause of Death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niwinska, Anna; Tacikowska, Malgorzata; Murawska, Magdalena

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate disease-free survival, survival from the detection of brain metastases, overall survival, and cause of death in patients with occult brain metastases (Group I) vs. patients with symptomatic brain metastases (Group II). Methods and Materials: In 80 HER2-positive breast cancer patients, treated with trastuzumab and cytostatic agents for metastatic disease, magnetic resonance imaging screening of the brain was performed, and in 29 patients (36%) occult brain metastasis was detected (Group I). Whole-brain radiotherapy was delivered to Group I. This first group was compared with 52 patients who had symptomatic brain metastases (Group II) and was treated the same way, at the same clinic, during the same time period. Results: Median disease-free survival was 17 months in Group I and 19.9 months in Group II (p = 0.58). The median time interval between the dissemination of the disease and the detection of occult or symptomatic brain metastases was 9 and 15 months, respectively (p = 0.11). When the brain metastases were detected, the median survival was 9 and 8.78 months, respectively (p = 0.80). The median overall survival was 53 and 51 months, respectively (p = 0.94). In the group with occult brain metastases (Group I) 16% of patients died because of progression within the brain. In the group with symptomatic brain metastases (Group II) the rate of cerebral death was 48% (p = 0.009). Conclusions: Whole-brain radiotherapy of occult brain metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer patients with visceral dissemination produces a three-fold decrease in cerebral deaths but does not prolong survival.

  14. Clinical Initial Response of Neoadjuvant Chemotheraphy in Triple Negative, HER-2, and Luminal Types of Breast Cancer in Denpasar (A Preliminary Study

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    Kristianto Yuli Yarso

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Triple Negative, Luminal, HER-2 subtypes of breast cancer are markers to predict behavior, aggressiveness, and response to chemotherapy. The aim of this study is to understand character and response to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in different subtypes of breast cancer. Method: This is a descriptive study of breast cancer subtypes. From 687 patients (2003-2010 351 patients have IHC data which divided into 3 groups, Triple negative, Luminal, and HER-2. We used 10% as a cut off point for ER, PR, while 30% & positive 3 for HER-2. We determined initial clinical response after 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy although only 77 got standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy and had clinical response data. We used 50% diameters depreciation & no metastasis as cut off point for respond group. Results: There were 116 (33% Triple Negative, 60 (17% HER-2, and 175 (50% Luminal Subtypes. The mean of age for 351 patients are 48.32 (23-82 years. In this study, it was obtained that no significant difference of means of age (p=0.24 in these 3 groups. Triple negative group significantly more advance in grade if compared with the other two groups (p=0.02. HER-2 group had highest response with standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy (50%, Luminal group had (49%, and Triple negative group had only (15% response. One pCR in HER-2 group. There were no difference ages in subtypes. Triple negative has more advances in grade. HER-2 group has highest response to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy and Triple negative has lowest response to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

  15. Overexpression of a novel cell cycle regulator ecdysoneless in breast cancer: a marker of poor prognosis in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xiangshan; Mirza, Sameer; Alshareeda, Alaa; Zhang, Ying; Gurumurthy, Channabasavaiah Basavaraju; Bele, Aditya; Kim, Jun Hyun; Mohibi, Shakur; Goswami, Monica; Lele, Subodh M; West, William; Qiu, Fang; Ellis, Ian O; Rakha, Emad A; Green, Andrew R; Band, Hamid; Band, Vimla

    2012-07-01

    Uncontrolled proliferation is one of the hallmarks of breast cancer. We have previously identified the human Ecd protein (human ortholog of Drosophila Ecdysoneless, hereafter called Ecd) as a novel promoter of mammalian cell cycle progression, a function related to its ability to remove the repressive effects of Rb-family tumor suppressors on E2F transcription factors. Given the frequent dysregulation of cell cycle regulatory components in human cancer, we used immunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded tissues to examine Ecd expression in normal breast tissue versus tissues representing increasing breast cancer progression. Initial studies of a smaller cohort without outcomes information showed that Ecd expression was barely detectable in normal breast tissue and in hyperplasia of breast, but high levels of Ecd were detected in benign breast hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDCs) of the breast. In this cohort of 104 IDC patients, Ecd expression levels showed a positive correlation with higher grade (P=0.04). Further analyses of Ecd expression using a larger, independent cohort (954) confirmed these results, with a strong positive correlation of elevated Ecd expression with higher histological grade (P=0.013), mitotic index (P=0.032), and Nottingham Prognostic Index score (P=0.014). Ecd expression was positively associated with HER2/neu (P=0.002) overexpression, a known marker of poor prognosis in breast cancer. Significantly, increased Ecd expression showed a strong positive association with shorter breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) (P=0.008) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.003) in HER2/neu overexpressing patients. Taken together, our results reveal Ecd as a novel marker for breast cancer progression and show that levels of Ecd expression predict poorer survival in Her2/neu overexpressing breast cancer patients.

  16. Application of HER2 CISH pharmDX for DNA Ploidy Determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Mai; Pasquariello, Terese; Steinhoff, Margaret

    2016-08-01

    Products of conception (POC) are encountered daily in general pathology practice. The molar workup is an important part of POC examination. Ploidy analysis, expressed as DNA index (DI), is part of the pathologic workup of molar pregnancy. For the past decade, chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) has become a popular way to detect HER2 gene amplification. Current study aims to determine whether HER2 CISH dual-color assay can be used to determine DI in POCs. Twenty-two POC cases were chosen from the departmental archives, including 6 complete hydatidiform mole (CM), 10 partial mole (PM), and 6 hydropic POC (HP). CISH assay was performed using the HER2 CISH PharmDx Kit (SK109; Dako). This kit generates red (HER2) and blue (CEN-17) chromogenic signals on the same tissue section. In the 10 triploid PM cases, CISH generated HER2 signal value of 2.925±0.19. Nine cases (90%) had values within this range, except 1 case (2.5). In diploid cases, CISH generated HER2 signal value of 2.063±0.19. Results from 11 (91.7%) cases fell within this range, except 1 HP case (2.35). Sensitivity is 90%, specificity 91.6%, and overall accuracy 90.9%. The current study is the first one that demonstrates HER2/CEN-17 dual-color CISH can be used for microscopic analysis of cell ploidy. This technique provides a relatively easy and straight way to access DI using regular bright-field microscope. Concurrent CEN-17 signal and ploidy in both placental and maternal tissue can be used as internal control. This assay can be performed in any laboratory that can perform immunohistochemistry.

  17. Forward genetic screens identify a role for the mitochondrial HER2 in E-2-hexenal responsiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scala, Alessandra; Mirabella, Rossana; Goedhart, Joachim; de Vries, Michel; Haring, Michel A; Schuurink, Robert C

    2017-11-01

    This work adds a new player, HER2, downstream of the perception of E-2-hexenal, a green leaf volatile, and shows that E-2-hexenal specifically changes the redox status of the mitochondria. It is widely accepted that plants produce and respond to green leaf volatiles (GLVs), but the molecular components involved in transducing their perception are largely unknown. The GLV E-2-hexenal inhibits root elongation in seedlings and, using this phenotype, we isolated E-2-hexenal response (her) Arabidopsis thaliana mutants. Using map-based cloning we positioned the her2 mutation to the At5g63620 locus, resulting in a phenylalanine instead of serine on position 223. Knockdown and overexpression lines of HER2 confirmed the role of HER2, which encodes an oxidoreductase, in the responsiveness to E-2-hexenal. Since E-2-hexenal is a reactive electrophile species, which are known to influence the redox status of cells, we utilized redox sensitive GFP2 (roGFP2) to determine the redox status of E-2-hexenal-treated root cells. Since the signal peptide of HER2 directed mCherry to the mitochondria, we targeted the expression of roGFP2 to this organelle besides the cytosol. E-2-hexenal specifically induced a change in the redox status in the mitochondria. We did not see a difference in the redox status in her2 compared to wild-type Arabidopsis. Still, the mitochondrial redox status did not change with Z-3-hexenol, another abundant GLV. These results indicate that HER2 is involved in transducing the perception of E-2-hexenal, which changes the redox status of the mitochondria.

  18. TNFα-Induced Mucin 4 Expression Elicits Trastuzumab Resistance in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercogliano, María F; De Martino, Mara; Venturutti, Leandro; Rivas, Martín A; Proietti, Cecilia J; Inurrigarro, Gloria; Frahm, Isabel; Allemand, Daniel H; Deza, Ernesto Gil; Ares, Sandra; Gercovich, Felipe G; Guzmán, Pablo; Roa, Juan C; Elizalde, Patricia V; Schillaci, Roxana

    2017-02-01

    Although trastuzumab administration improved the outcome of HER2-positive breast cancer patients, resistance events hamper its clinical benefits. We demonstrated that TNFα stimulation in vitro induces trastuzumab resistance in HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines. Here, we explored the mechanism of TNFα-induced trastuzumab resistance and the therapeutic strategies to overcome it. Trastuzumab-sensitive breast cancer cells, genetically engineered to stably overexpress TNFα, and de novo trastuzumab-resistant tumors, were used to evaluate trastuzumab response and TNFα-blocking antibodies effectiveness respectively. Immunohistochemistry and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC), together with siRNA strategy, were used to explore TNFα influence on the expression and function of its downstream target, mucin 4 (MUC4). The clinical relevance of MUC4 expression was studied in a cohort of 78 HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant trastuzumab. TNFα overexpression turned trastuzumab-sensitive cells and tumors into resistant ones. Histopathologic findings revealed mucin foci in TNFα-producing tumors. TNFα induced upregulation of MUC4 that reduced trastuzumab binding to its epitope and impaired ADCC. Silencing MUC4 enhanced trastuzumab binding, increased ADCC, and overcame trastuzumab and trastuzumab-emtansine antiproliferative effects in TNFα-overexpressing cells. Accordingly, administration of TNFα-blocking antibodies downregulated MUC4 and sensitized de novo trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cells and tumors to trastuzumab. In HER2-positive breast cancer samples, MUC4 expression was found to be an independent predictor of poor disease-free survival (P = 0.008). We identified TNFα-induced MUC4 expression as a novel trastuzumab resistance mechanism. We propose MUC4 expression as a predictive biomarker of trastuzumab efficacy and a guide to combination therapy of TNFα-blocking antibodies with trastuzumab. Clin Cancer Res; 23(3); 636-48.

  19. EVALUATION OF IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY (IHC MARKER HER2 IN BREAST CANCER

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    Prasanna G. Shete

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses a novel approach involving algorithm implementation and hardware Devkit processing for estimating the extent of cancer in a breast tissue sample. The process aims at providing a reliable, repeatable, and fast method that could replace the traditional method of manual examination and estimation. Immunohistochemistry (IHC and Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH are the two main methods used to detect the marker status in clinical practice. FISH is though more reliable than IHC, but IHC is widely used as it is cheaper, convenient to operate and conserve, the morphology is clear. The IHC markers are Estrogen receptor (ER, Progesterone receptor (PR, Human Epidermal Growth Factor (HER2 that give clear indications of the presence of cancer cells in the tissue sample. HER2 remains the most reliable marker for the detection of breast cancer. The Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (HER2 markers are discussed in the paper, as it gives clear indications of the presence of cancer cells in the tissue sample. HER2 is identified based on the color and intensity of the cell membrane staining. The color and intensity is obviously based on the thresholding for classifying the cancerous cells into severity levels in terms of score to estimate the extent of spread of cancer in breast tissue. For HER2 evaluation, the percentage of staining is calculated in terms of ratio of stain pixel count to the total pixel count. The evaluation of HER2 is obtained through simulation software (MATLAB using intensity based algorithm and same is run on embedded processor evaluation board Devkit 8500. The results are validated with doctors.

  20. CDC25A Protein Stability Represents a Previously Unrecognized Target of HER2 Signaling in Human Breast Cancer: Implication for a Potential Clinical Relevance in Trastuzumab Treatment

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    Emanuela Brunetto

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The CDC25A-CDK2 pathway has been proposed as critical for the oncogenic action of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 in mammary epithelial cells. In particular, transgenic expression of CDC25A cooperates with HER2 in promoting mammary tumors, whereas CDC25A hemizygous loss attenuates the HER2-induced tumorigenesis penetrance. On the basis of this evidence of a synergism between HER2 and the cell cycle regulator CDC25A in a mouse model of mammary tumorigenesis, we investigated the role of CDC25A in human HER2-positive breast cancer and its possible implications in therapeutic response. HER2 status and CDC25A expression were assessed in 313 breast cancer patients and we found statistically significant correlation between HER2 and CDC25A (P = .007. Moreover, an HER2-positive breast cancer subgroup with high levels of CDC25A and very aggressive phenotype was identified (P = .005. Importantly, our in vitro studies on breast cancer cell lines showed that the HER2 inhibitor efficacy on cell growth and viability relied also on CDC25A expression and that such inhibition induces CDC25A down-regulation through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway and DNA damage response activation. In line with this observation, we found a statistical significant association between CDC25A overexpression and trastuzumab-combined therapy response rate in two different HER2-positive cohorts of trastuzumab-treated patients in either metastatic or neoadjuvant setting (P = .018 for the metastatic cohort and P = .021 for the neoadjuvant cohort. Our findings highlight a link between HER2 and CDC25A that positively modulates HER2- targeted therapy response, suggesting that, in HER2-positive breast cancer patients, CDC25A overexpression affects trastuzumab sensitivity.

  1. Added Value of HER-2 Amplification Testing by Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification in Invasive Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuijpers, Chantal C. H. J.; Moelans, Cathy B.; van Slooten, Henk-Jan; Horstman, Anja; Hinrichs, John W. J.; Al-Janabi, Shaimaa; van Diest, Paul J.; Jiwa, Mehdi

    2013-01-01

    Background HER-2 is a prognostic and predictive marker, but as yet no technique is perfectly able to identify patients likely to benefit from HER-2 targeted therapies. We aimed to prospectively assess the added value of first-line co-testing by IHC, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH). Methods As local validation, HER-2 MLPA and CISH were compared in 99 breast cancers. Next, we reviewed 937 invasive breast cancers, from 4 Dutch pathology laboratories, that were prospectively assessed for HER-2 by IHC and MLPA (and CISH in selected cases). Results The validation study demonstrated 100% concordance between CISH and MLPA, if both methods were assessable and conclusive (81.8% of cases). Significant variation regarding percentages IHC 0/1+ and 2+ cases was observed between the laboratories (pCISH was 98.1% (575/586) (Kappa = 0.94). Of the IHC 3+ cases, 6.7% failed to reveal gene amplification, whereas 0.8% of the IHC 0/1+ cases demonstrated gene amplification. Results remained discordant after retrospective review in 3/11 discordant cases. In the remaining 8 cases the original IHC score was incorrect or adapted after repeated IHC staining. Conclusions MLPA is a low-cost and quantitative high-throughput technique with near perfect concordance with CISH. The use of MLPA in routinely co-testing all breast cancers may reduce HER-2 testing variation between laboratories, may serve as quality control for IHC, will reveal IHC 0/1+ patients with gene amplification, likely responsive to trastuzumab, and identify IHC 3+ cases without gene amplification that may respond less well. PMID:24324739

  2. Added value of HER-2 amplification testing by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in invasive breast cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chantal C H J Kuijpers

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: HER-2 is a prognostic and predictive marker, but as yet no technique is perfectly able to identify patients likely to benefit from HER-2 targeted therapies. We aimed to prospectively assess the added value of first-line co-testing by IHC, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA and chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH. METHODS: As local validation, HER-2 MLPA and CISH were compared in 99 breast cancers. Next, we reviewed 937 invasive breast cancers, from 4 Dutch pathology laboratories, that were prospectively assessed for HER-2 by IHC and MLPA (and CISH in selected cases. RESULTS: The validation study demonstrated 100% concordance between CISH and MLPA, if both methods were assessable and conclusive (81.8% of cases. Significant variation regarding percentages IHC 0/1+ and 2+ cases was observed between the laboratories (p<0.0001. Overall concordance between IHC and MLPA/CISH was 98.1% (575/586 (Kappa = 0.94. Of the IHC 3+ cases, 6.7% failed to reveal gene amplification, whereas 0.8% of the IHC 0/1+ cases demonstrated gene amplification. Results remained discordant after retrospective review in 3/11 discordant cases. In the remaining 8 cases the original IHC score was incorrect or adapted after repeated IHC staining. CONCLUSIONS: MLPA is a low-cost and quantitative high-throughput technique with near perfect concordance with CISH. The use of MLPA in routinely co-testing all breast cancers may reduce HER-2 testing variation between laboratories, may serve as quality control for IHC, will reveal IHC 0/1+ patients with gene amplification, likely responsive to trastuzumab, and identify IHC 3+ cases without gene amplification that may respond less well.

  3. Impact of chemotherapy relative dose intensity on cause-specific and overall survival for stage I-III breast cancer: ER+/PR+, HER2- vs. triple-negative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lu; Yu, Qingzhao; Wu, Xiao-Cheng; Hsieh, Mei-Chin; Loch, Michelle; Chen, Vivien W; Fontham, Elizabeth; Ferguson, Tekeda

    2018-05-01

    To investigate the impact of chemotherapy relative dose intensity (RDI) on cause-specific and overall survival for stage I-III breast cancer: estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor positive, human epidermal-growth factor receptor negative (ER+/PR+ and HER2-) vs. triple-negative (TNBC) and to identify the optimal RDI cut-off points in these two patient populations. Data were collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry for two CDC-funded projects. Women diagnosed with stage I-III ER+/PR+, HER2- breast cancer, or TNBC in 2011 with complete information on RDI were included. Five RDI cut-off points (95, 90, 85, 80, and 75%) were evaluated on cause-specific and overall survival, adjusting for multiple demographic variables, tumor characteristics, comorbidity, use of granulocyte-growth factor/cytokines, chemotherapy delay, chemotherapy regimens, and use of hormone therapy. Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were estimated and adjusted by stabilized inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) of propensity score. Of 494 ER+/PR+, HER2- patients and 180 TNBC patients, RDI PR+, HER2- patients, 85% was the only cut-off point at which the low RDI was significantly associated with worse overall survival (HR = 1.93; 95% CI 1.09-3.40). Among TNBC patients, 75% was the cut-off point at which the high RDI was associated with better cause-specific (HR = 2.64; 95% CI 1.09, 6.38) and overall survival (HR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.04-5.51). Higher RDI of chemotherapy is associated with better survival for ER+/PR+, HER2- patients and TNBC patients. To optimize survival benefits, RDI should be maintained ≥ 85% in ER+/PR+, HER2- patients, and ≥ 75% in TNBC patients.

  4. Novel insertion mutation in a non-Jewish Caucasian type 1 Gaucher disease patient

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choy, F.Y.M.; Humphries, M.L. [Univ. of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada); Ferreira, P. [Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton (Canada)

    1997-01-20

    Gaucher disease is the most prevalent lysosomal storage disorder. It is autosomal recessive, resulting in lysosomal glucocerebrosidase deficiency. Three clinical forms of Gaucher disease have been described: type 1 (nonneuronopathic), type 2 (acute neuronopathic), and type 3 (subacute neuronopathic). We performed PCR-thermal cycle sequence analysis of glucocerebrosidase genomic DNA and identified a novel mutation in a non-Jewish type 1 Gaucher disease patient. It is a C insertion in exon 3 at cDNA nucleotide position 122 and genomic nucleotide position 1626. This mutation causes a frameshift and, subsequently, four of the five codons immediately downstream of the insertion were changed while the sixth was converted to a stop codon, resulting in premature termination of protein translation. The 122CC insertion abolishes a Cac81 restriction endonuclease cleavage site, allowing a convenient and reliable method for detection using RFLP analysis of PCR-amplified glucocerebrosidase genomic DNA. The mutation in the other Gaucher allele was found to be an A{r_arrow}G substitution at glucocerebrosidase cDNA nucleotide position 1226 that so far has only been reported among type 1 Gaucher disease patients. Since mutation 122CC causes a frameshift and early termination of protein translation, it most likely results in a meaningless transcript and subsequently no residual glucocerebrosidase enzyme activity. We speculate that mutation 122CC may result in a worse prognosis than mutations associated with partial activity. When present in the homozygous form, it could be a lethal allele similar to what has been postulated for the other known insertion mutation, 84GG. Our patient, who is a compound heterozygote 122CC/1226G, has moderately severe type 1 Gaucher disease. Her clinical response to Ceredase{reg_sign} therapy that began 31 months ago has been favorable, though incomplete. 30 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

  5. Is the skin a sanctuary for breast cancer cells during treatment with anti-HER2 antibodies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graziano, Vincenzo; Scognamiglio, Maria Teresa; Zilli, Marinella; Giampietro, Jamara; Vici, Patrizia; Natoli, Clara; Grassadonia, Antonino

    2015-01-01

    The occurrence of skin metastases is a common event in patients affected by advanced breast cancer, usually associated with systemic disease progression. Here we describe 2 cases of diffuse cutaneous metastases from HER2-overexpressing breast cancer occurring despite a dramatic response in liver and bone, respectively, during treatment with anti-HER2 antibodies Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab. We discuss the reasons for this discrepancy and suggest a possible implication of impaired immune response in the skin. Future research should provide strategies to overcome the induction of immune privilege in the skin in order to avoid discontinuation of effective treatments.

  6. Radiation binary targeted therapy for HER-2 positive breast cancers: assumptions, theoretical assessment and future directions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mundy, Daniel W [School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, 400 Central Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47909 (United States); Harb, Wael [Horizon Oncology, The Care Group, Unity Medical Center, Lafayette, IN 47901 (United States); Jevremovic, Tatjana [School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, 400 Central Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47909 (United States)

    2006-03-21

    A novel radiation targeted therapy is investigated for HER-2 positive breast cancers. The proposed concept combines two known approaches, but never used together for the treatment of advanced, relapsed or metastasized HER-2 positive breast cancers. The proposed radiation binary targeted concept is based on the anti HER-2 monoclonal antibodies (MABs) that would be used as vehicles to transport the nontoxic agent to cancer cells. The anti HER-2 MABs have been successful in targeting HER-2 positive breast cancers with high affinity. The proposed concept would utilize a neutral nontoxic boron-10 predicting that anti HER-2 MABs would assure its selective delivery to cancer cells. MABs against HER-2 have been a widely researched strategy in the clinical setting. The most promising antibody is Trastuzumab (Herceptin (registered) ). Targeting HER-2 with the MAB Trastuzumab has been proven to be a successful strategy in inducing tumour regression and improving patient survival. Unfortunately, these tumours become resistant and afflicted women succumb to breast cancer. In the proposed concept, when the tumour region is loaded with boron-10 it is irradiated with neutrons (treatment used for head and neck cancers, melanoma and glioblastoma for over 40 years in Japan and Europe). The irradiation process takes less than an hour producing minimal side effects. This paper summarizes our recent theoretical assessments of radiation binary targeted therapy for HER-2 positive breast cancers on: the effective drug delivery mechanism, the numerical model to evaluate the targeted radiation delivery and the survey study to find the neutron facility in the world that might be capable of producing the radiation effect as needed. A novel method of drug delivery utilizing Trastuzumab is described, followed by the description of a computational Monte Carlo based breast model used to determine radiation dose distributions. The total flux and neutron energy spectra of five currently available

  7. 2-Triazenoazaindoles: α novel class of triazenes inducing transcriptional down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 in human pancreatic cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreutzer, Jan N; Salvador, Alessia; Diana, Patrizia; Cirrincione, Girolamo; Vedaldi, Daniela; Litchfield, David W; Issinger, Olaf-Georg; Guerra, Barbara

    2012-04-01

    Pancreatic cancer is a complex malignancy arising from the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic defects in the affected cells. Standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced disease shows only modest effects and is associated with considerable toxicity. Overexpression or aberrant activation of members of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase family, which includes EGFR and HER-2, occurs frequently and is associated with multiple drug resistance and decreased patient survival. In this study, we have investigated the therapeutic potential of AS104, a novel compound of the triazene class, with potential inhibitory effects on EGFR. We found that treatment of cells with AS104 causes significant reduction of cell growth and metabolic activity in four human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we show that the AS104-mediated induction of apoptotic cell death is associated with stimulation of autophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of cells with AS104 results in significant down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 expression and activity and subsequent inhibition of downstream signaling proteins. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis and assays with proteasome inhibitors revealed that AS104 regulates the expression of EGFR and HER-2 at the transcriptional level. These findings provide for the first time experimental evidence for efficacy of AS104 in the simultaneous transcriptional repression of EGFR and HER-2 genes and suggest that AS104 may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of pancreatic cancers that express high levels of the aforementioned receptor tyrosine kinases.

  8. 2-Triazenoazaindoles: A novel class of triazenes inducing transcriptional down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 in human pancreatic cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    KREUTZER, JAN N.; SALVADOR, ALESSIA; DIANA, PATRIZIA; CIRRINCIONE, GIROLAMO; VEDALDI, DANIELA; LITCHFIELD, DAVID W.; ISSINGER, OLAF-GEORG; GUERRA, BARBARA

    2012-01-01

    Pancreatic cancer is a complex malignancy arising from the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic defects in the affected cells. Standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced disease shows only modest effects and is associated with considerable toxicity. Overexpression or aberrant activation of members of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase family, which includes EGFR and HER-2, occurs frequently and is associated with multiple drug resistance and decreased patient survival. In this study, we have investigated the therapeutic potential of AS104, a novel compound of the triazene class, with potential inhibitory effects on EGFR. We found that treatment of cells with AS104 causes significant reduction of cell growth and metabolic activity in four human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we show that the AS104-mediated induction of apoptotic cell death is associated with stimulation of autophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of cells with AS104 results in significant down-regulation of EGFR and HER-2 expression and activity and subsequent inhibition of downstream signaling proteins. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis and assays with proteasome inhibitors revealed that AS104 regulates the expression of EGFR and HER-2 at the transcriptional level. These findings provide for the first time experimental evidence for efficacy of AS104 in the simultaneous transcriptional repression of EGFR and HER-2 genes and suggest that AS104 may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of pancreatic cancers that express high levels of the aforementioned receptor tyrosine kinases. PMID:22134789

  9. FDA Approval: Palbociclib for the Treatment of Postmenopausal Patients with Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaver, Julia A; Amiri-Kordestani, Laleh; Charlab, Rosane; Chen, Wei; Palmby, Todd; Tilley, Amy; Zirkelbach, Jeanne Fourie; Yu, Jingyu; Liu, Qi; Zhao, Liang; Crich, Joyce; Chen, Xiao Hong; Hughes, Minerva; Bloomquist, Erik; Tang, Shenghui; Sridhara, Rajeshwari; Kluetz, Paul G; Kim, Geoffrey; Ibrahim, Amna; Pazdur, Richard; Cortazar, Patricia

    2015-11-01

    On February 3, 2015, the FDA granted accelerated approval to palbociclib (IBRANCE, Pfizer Inc.), an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4 and CDK6), for use in combination with letrozole for the treatment of postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer as initial endocrine-based therapy for their metastatic disease. The approval is based on a randomized, multicenter, open-label phase I/II trial (PALOMA-1) in 165 patients randomized to palbociclib (125 mg orally daily for 21 consecutive days, followed by 7 days off treatment) plus letrozole (2.5 mg orally daily) or letrozole alone. The phase II portion of the trial was divided into two cohorts: cohort 1 enrolled 66 biomarker-unselected patients and cohort 2 enrolled 99 biomarker-positive patients. The major efficacy outcome measure was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS). A large magnitude of improvement in PFS was observed in patients receiving palbociclib plus letrozole compared with patients receiving letrozole alone (HR, 0.488; 95% confidence interval, 0.319-0.748). Multiple sensitivity analyses were supportive of clinical benefit. The most common adverse reaction in patients receiving palbociclib plus letrozole was neutropenia. This article summarizes the FDA thought process and data supporting accelerated approval based on PALOMA-1 that may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the ongoing and fully accrued confirmatory trial PALOMA-2. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  10. Comparison of liquid based cytology and histology for the evaluation of HER-2 status using immunostaining and CISH in breast carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sartelet, H; Lagonotte, E; Lorenzato, M; Duval, I; Lechki, C; Rigaud, C; Cucherousset, J; Durlach, A; Graesslin, O; Abboud, P; Doco-Fenzy, M; Quereux, C; Costa, B; Polette, M; Munck, J-N; Birembaut, P

    2005-08-01

    HER-2 amplification is an important prognostic biomarker and treatment determinant in breast carcinoma. To correlate immunocytochemical (ICC) expression of HER-2 and gene amplification determined by chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH) using liquid based cytology (LBC) with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and CISH using histological samples of the same breast carcinomas. Frozen sections and cytobrushings of 103 breast carcinomas were analysed. Four techniques were performed on each tumour: two on LBC samples (ICC, and CISH, both graded as positive, indeterminate, or negative) and two on histological samples (IHC and CISH). Two cell lines (MCF-7, negative; BT 474, positive) were used as controls for cytological analysis. A complementary fluorescence in situ hybridisation technique was carried out in histological samples with low amplification (4-10 dots/nucleus). Interobserver agreement for the four techniques calculated by the kappa coefficient indicated a substantial agreement. Nine cases failed in cytology because of poor cellularity. Among 94 cases, 19 were amplified; 73, 12, and 9 tumours were scored 0 or 1+, 2+, and 3+, respectively by IHC and 75, 13, and 6, respectively, by ICC. CISH found no amplification in 72 tumours. Correlations between the IHC and CISH results in the histological and cytological samples were always significant. Her-2 status could be determined in LBC samples and correlated well with reference histological methods using in situ hybridisation. ICC was less reliable because of the presence of the cytoplasmic membrane. However, these results should be confirmed by a large multicentre study.

  11. HER2 and GATA4 are new prognostic factors for early-stage ovarian granulosa cell tumor—a long-term follow-up study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Färkkilä, Anniina; Andersson, Noora; Bützow, Ralf; Leminen, Arto; Heikinheimo, Markku; Anttonen, Mikko; Unkila-Kallio, Leila

    2014-01-01

    Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) carry a risk of recurrence also at an early stage, but reliable prognostic factors are lacking. We assessed clinicopathological prognostic factors and the prognostic roles of the human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER 2–4) and the transcription factor GATA4 in GCTs. We conducted a long-term follow-up study of 80 GCT patients with a mean follow-up time of 16.8 years. A tumor-tissue microarray was immunohistochemically stained for HER2–4 and GATA4. Expression of HER2–4 mRNA was studied by means of real time polymerase chain reaction and HER2 gene amplification was analyzed by means of silver in situ hybridization. The results were correlated to clinical data on recurrences and survival. We found that GCTs have an indolent prognosis, with 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) being 97.5%. Tumor recurrence was detected in 24% of the patients at a median of 7.0 years (range 2.6–18 years) after diagnosis. Tumor stage was not prognostic of disease-free survival (DFS). Of the molecular prognostic factors, high-level expression of HER2, and GATA4, and high nuclear atypia were prognostic of shorter DFS. In multivariate analyses, high-level coexpression of HER2 and GATA4 independently predicted DFS (hazard ratio [HR] 8.75, 95% CI 2.20–39.48, P = 0.002). High-level expression of GATA4 also predicted shorter DSS (HR 3.96, 95% CI 1.45–12.57, P = 0.006). In multivariate analyses, however, tumor stage (II–III) and nuclear atypia were independent prognostic factors of DSS. In conclusion HER2 and GATA4 are new molecular prognostic markers of GCT recurrence, which could be utilized to optimize the management and follow-up of patients with early-stage GCTs

  12. Quantitative Analysis of HER2 Receptor Expression In Vivo by Near-Infrared Optical Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Chernomordik

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 overexpression in breast cancers is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to therapy. Current techniques for estimating this important characteristic use ex vivo assays that require tissue biopsies. We suggest a novel noninvasive method to characterize HER2 expression in vivo, using optical imaging, based on HER2-specific probes (albumin-binding domain–fused-(ZHER2:3422-Cys Affibody molecules [Affibody AB, Solna, Sweden], labeled with Alexa Fluor 750 [Molecular Probes, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA] that could be used concomitantly with HER2-targeted therapy. Subcutaneous tumor xenografts, expressing different levels of HER2, were imaged with a near-infrared fluorescence small-animal imaging system at several times postinjection of the probe. The compartmental ligand-receptor model was used to calculate HER2 expression from imaging data. Correlation between HER2 amplification/overexpression in tumor cells and parameters, directly estimated from the sequence of optical images, was observed (eg, experimental data for BT474 xenografts indicate that initial slope, characterizing the temporal dependence of the fluorescence intensity detected in the tumor, linearly depends on the HER2 expression, as measured ex vivo by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the same tumor. The results obtained from tumors expressing different levels of HER2 substantiate a similar relationship between the initial slope and HER2 amplification/overexpression. This work shows that optical imaging, combined with mathematical modeling, allows noninvasive monitoring of HER2 expression in vivo.

  13. Comparative study of cyclioxygenase-2 expression and HER-2/neu amplification in Korean and caucasian woman with early-onset breast carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Doo Ho; Kim, Eun Seog; Kim, Yong Ho; Jin, So Young; Lee, Dong Wha; Haffty, Bruce G.

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to study the differences of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) expression between Korean and Caucasian patients with early-onset breast carcinoma by immunohistochemistry. The test were analyzed to find a correlation between COX-2 and other biomarkers including HER-2/neu amplification, because we previously reported that a significant difference had been found in the expression of HER-2/neu between the two races. Furthermore, we investigated prognostic significance of COX-2 in Korean patients. Sixty Korean women who were diagnosed breast carcinoma at 45 years old or younger and 60 Caucasian women with breast carcinoma were selected for this study. The median age of both groups was 37 years and tumor sizes were distributed evenly between the two group. Paraffin embedded blocks of primary tumor were processed for immunohistochemical staining of COX-2. The COX-2 expression was evaluated according to the percentage of positive cells and the intensity of staining. And the results were compared with the data of the previous studies to find correlation between COX-2 and other parameters and survival data. Proportion of the COX-2 expression in total patients was 27.6%. The percentage of tumors that stained positive for COX-2 in Korean and Caucasian women with early-onset breast carcinoma were 37.9% and 20.8%, respectively. The difference was statistically not significant (ρ 0.090). Expression of COX-2 was not associated with several clinicopathologic parameters including HER-2/neu overexpression, but negative estrogen receptor status was correlated with significance (ρ = 0.046). The 5 year disease free survival rate for patients with COX-2 expression was 67.9%, compared to 81.9% of the COX-2 negative patients and the result was statistically not significant. A significant difference was not found in the expression of COX-2 between the two groups of patients with early-onset breast carcinoma. And correlation between COX-2 and other parameters was not

  14. HSP90 inhibition is effective in breast cancer: a phase II trial of tanespimycin (17-AAG) plus trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer progressing on trastuzumab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modi, Shanu; Stopeck, Alison; Linden, Hannah; Solit, David; Chandarlapaty, Sarat; Rosen, Neal; D'Andrea, Gabriella; Dickler, Maura; Moynahan, Mary E; Sugarman, Steven; Ma, Weining; Patil, Sujata; Norton, Larry; Hannah, Alison L; Hudis, Clifford

    2011-08-01

    HSP90 is a chaperone protein required for the stability of a variety of client proteins. 17-Demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) is a natural product that binds to HSP90 and inhibits its activity, thereby inducing the degradation of these clients. In preclinical studies, HER2 is one of the most sensitive known client proteins of 17-AAG. On the basis of these data and activity in a phase I study, we conducted a phase II study of 17-AAG (tanespimycin) with trastuzumab in advanced trastuzumab-refractory HER2-positive breast cancer. We enrolled patients with metastatic HER2(+) breast cancer whose disease had previously progressed on trastuzumab. All patients received weekly treatment with tanespimycin at 450 mg/m(2) intravenously and trastuzumab at a conventional dose. Therapy was continued until disease progression. The primary endpoint was response rate by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria. Thirty-one patients were enrolled with a median age of 53 years and a median Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of 90%. The most common toxicities, largely grade 1, were diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, and headache. The overall response rate was 22%, the clinical benefit rate [complete response + partial response + stable disease] was 59%, the median progression-free survival was 6 months (95% CI: 4-9), and the median overall survival was 17 months (95% CI: 16-28). This is the first phase II study to definitively show RECIST-defined responses for 17-AAG in solid tumors. Tanespimycin plus trastuzumab has significant anticancer activity in patients with HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer previously progressing on trastuzumab. Further research exploring this therapeutic interaction and the activity of HSP90 inhibitors is clearly warranted. ©2011 AACR.

  15. Novel anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies: synergy and antagonism with tumor necrosis factor-α

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ceran Ceyhan

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background One-third of breast cancers display amplifications of the ERBB2 gene encoding the HER2 kinase receptor. Trastuzumab, a humanized antibody directed against an epitope on subdomain IV of the extracellular domain of HER2 is used for therapy of HER2-overexpressing mammary tumors. However, many tumors are either natively resistant or acquire resistance against Trastuzumab. Antibodies directed to different epitopes on the extracellular domain of HER2 are promising candidates for replacement or combinatorial therapy. For example, Pertuzumab that binds to subdomain II of HER2 extracellular domain and inhibits receptor dimerization is under clinical trial. Alternative antibodies directed to novel HER2 epitopes may serve as additional tools for breast cancer therapy. Our aim was to generate novel anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells, either alone or in combination with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α. Methods Mice were immunized against SK-BR-3 cells and recombinant HER2 extracellular domain protein to produce monoclonal antibodies. Anti-HER2 antibodies were characterized with breast cancer cell lines using immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, immunoprecipitation, western blot techniques. Antibody epitopes were localized using plasmids encoding recombinant HER2 protein variants. Antibodies, either alone or in combination with TNF-α, were tested for their effects on breast cancer cell proliferation. Results We produced five new anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies, all directed against conformational epitope or epitopes restricted to the native form of the extracellular domain. When tested alone, some antibodies inhibited modestly but significantly the growth of SK-BR-3, BT-474 and MDA-MB-361 cells displaying ERBB2 amplification. They had no detectable effect on MCF-7 and T47D cells lacking ERBB2 amplification. When tested in combination with TNF-α, antibodies acted synergistically on SK-BR-3 cells

  16. Non-clinical immuno-toxicological evaluation of HER1 cancer vaccine in non-human primates: a 12-month study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barro, Ana M Bada; Rivero, Arianna Iglesias; Goñi, Avelina León; Navarro, Bárbara O González; Angarica, Meilis Mesa; Ramírez, Belinda Sánchez; Bedoya, Darel Martínez; Triana, Consuelo González; Rodríguez, Axel Mancebo; Parada, Ángel Casacó

    2012-12-17

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER1) constitutes a tumor associated antigen. Its overexpression in many epithelial tumors has been associated with bad prognosis and poor survival. Cancer vaccine based on the extracellular domain (ECD) of HER1 and adjuvated in very small sized proteoliposomes (VSSP) and Montanide ISA 51-VG is a new and complementary approach for the treatment of epithelial tumors. The present study deals with the immunogenicity of this vaccine in Macaca fascicularis monkeys and evaluation of its toxicity during 12 months. Twelve monkeys were randomized into two groups of 3 animals per sex: control and vaccinated. Treated monkeys received 9 doses of vaccination and were daily inspected for clinical signs. Body weight, rectal temperature, cardiac and respiratory rates were measured during the study. Humoral immune response, clinical pathology parameters and delayed type hypensensitivity were analyzed. Skin biopsy was performed at the end of the study in all animals. Animal's survival in the study was 100% (n=12). Local reactions were observed at the administration site of four treated animals (n=6), with two showing slight inflammatory cutaneous damage. Clinical pathology parameters were not affected. HER1 vaccine induced high IgG antibodies titers in the treated animals even when DTH was not observed. The induced antibodies recognized HER1+ tumor cell lines, decreased HER1 phosphorylation and showed anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in H125 cells. In general the present study showed that HER1 vaccine induced specific immune response in M. fascicularis monkeys and was well tolerated, suggesting it could be safely used in clinical studies in epithelial cancer patients. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Cytotoxic effect of the Her-2/Her-1 inhibitor PKI-166 on renal cancer cells expressing the connexin 32 gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujimoto, Eriko; Yano, Tomohiro; Sato, Hiromi; Hagiwara, Kiyokazu; Yamasaki, Hiroshi; Shirai, Sumiko; Fukumoto, Keiko; Hagiwara, Hiromi; Negishi, Etsuko; Ueno, Koichi

    2005-02-01

    We have reported that connexin (Cx) 32 acts as a tumor suppressor gene in renal cancer cells partly due to Her-2 inactivation. Here, we determined if a Her-2/Her-1 inhibitor (PKI-166) can enhance the tumor-suppressive effect of Cx32 in Caki-2 cells from human renal cell carcinoma. The expression of Cx32 in Caki-2 cells was required for PKI-166-induced cytotoxic effect at lower doses. The cyctotoxicity was dependent on the occurrence of apoptosis and partly mediated by Cx32-driven gap junction intercellular communications. These results suggest that PKI-166 further supports the tumor-suppressive effect of the Cx32 gene in renal cancer cells through the induction of apoptosis.

  18. Co-expression of HER3 and MUC1 is associated with a favourable prognosis in patients with bladder cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Trine O; Borre, Michael; Nexo, Ebba

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To investigate the functional impact of the interaction of MUC1 with the epidermal growth factor receptors HER3 and HER4 in patients with bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we examined MUC1 expression in 82 bladder...... the prognostic value of MUC1 (P = 0.488). MUC1 expression had no correlation with survival, tumour stage or grade, or to the prognostic value of HER4. CONCLUSIONS: A high MUC1 expression was associated with a favourable prognosis in patients with bladder cancer when the expression of HER3 was also high....... This suggests an involvement of HER3 in MUC1 function in bladder cancer....

  19. Elosulfase alfa enzyme replacement therapy attenuates disease progression in a non-ambulatory Japanese patient with Morquio A syndrome (case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Misako Hiramatsu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT with elosulfase alfa is the only approved therapy in Japan for patients with Morquio A syndrome, a lysosomal storage disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. The experience with ERT in severely affected, non-ambulatory patients has not been reported in previous studies. This case report describes clinical evidence for the 1-year efficacy and safety of ERT with elosulfase alfa in a severely affected, non-ambulatory, 47-year-old patient with Morquio A syndrome who needs intensive respiratory management. ERT with elosulfase alfa was well tolerated in this patient. Because of the possibility of potential hypersensitivity adverse events, special attention is needed when using ERT in patients with respiratory disorders. However, under the appropriate management of specialists, the patient in this case report showed significant respiratory improvement after starting ERT, and abdominal bloating was improved by gas evacuation. In addition, the patient was able to lift up her arms, reach behind her back, and move her legs slightly, and she recovered her grip strength. Her hearing loss improved and she could hear without a hearing aid. This report shows that ERT with elosulfase alfa can be used with appropriate respiratory care in patients with severe respiratory dysfunction.

  20. Standardization and optimization of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for HER-2 assessment in breast cancer: A single center experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanovska-Todorovska, Magdalena; Petrushevska, Gordana; Janevska, Vesna; Spasevska, Liljana; Kostadinova-Kunovska, Slavica

    2018-05-20

    Accurate assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) is crucial in selecting patients for targeted therapy. Commonly used methods for HER-2 testing are immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Here we presented the implementation, optimization and standardization of two FISH protocols using breast cancer samples and assessed the impact of pre-analytical and analytical factors on HER-2 testing. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue samples from 70 breast cancer patients were tested for HER-2 using PathVysion™ HER-2 DNA Probe Kit and two different paraffin pretreatment kits, Vysis/Abbott Paraffin Pretreatment Reagent Kit (40 samples) and DAKO Histology FISH Accessory Kit (30 samples). The concordance between FISH and IHC results was determined. Pre-analytical and analytical factors (i.e., fixation, baking, digestion, and post-hybridization washing) affected the efficiency and quality of hybridization. The overall hybridization success in our study was 98.6% (69/70); the failure rate was 1.4%. The DAKO pretreatment kit was more time-efficient and resulted in more uniform signals that were easier to interpret, compared to the Vysis/Abbott kit. The overall concordance between IHC and FISH was 84.06%, kappa coefficient 0.5976 (p characteristics. Differences in the pre-analytical and analytical steps can affect the hybridization quality and efficiency. The use of DAKO pretreatment kit is time-saving and cost-effective.

  1. Capecitabine and its role in the treatment of advanced HER2 positive breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barilla, R.; Sycova-Mila, Z.; Andrasina, I.

    2011-01-01

    Metastatic breast cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among women worldwide. Approximately 20 % women with breast cancer that over express HER2, considered to be strong predictor for disease progression and death, are at greater risk than women whose tumors do not over express HER2. It represents an important therapeutic target in this population. We currently have 2 registered targeted drugs in this setting (trastuzumab and lapatinib) and others are being investigated in clinical trials (pertuzumab, neratinib etc.). (5, 6) The treatment of intensively pretreated breast cancer is essentially palliative with the aim of providing antitumor activity and prolonging survival but without significant deterioration in quality of life. Despite the era of targeted therapies in several cancer types with certainty we cannot omit cytotoxic chemotherapy in these patients. (author)

  2. HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin displays enhanced anti-tumorigenic effects without associated cardiotoxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reynolds, Joseph G.; Geretti, Elena; Hendriks, Bart S.; Lee, Helen; Leonard, Shannon C.; Klinz, Stephan G.; Noble, Charles O.; Lücker, Petra B.; Zandstra, Peter W.; Drummond, Daryl C.; Olivier, Kenneth J.; Nielsen, Ulrik B.; Niyikiza, Clet; Agresta, Samuel V.; Wickham, Thomas J.

    2012-01-01

    Anthracycline-based regimens are a mainstay of early breast cancer therapy, however their use is limited by cardiac toxicity. The potential for cardiotoxicity is a major consideration in the design and development of combinatorial therapies incorporating anthracyclines and agents that target the HER2-mediated signaling pathway, such as trastuzumab. In this regard, HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin was developed to provide clinical benefit by both reducing the cardiotoxicity observed with anthracyclines and enhancing the therapeutic potential of HER2-based therapies that are currently available for HER2-overexpressing cancers. While documenting the enhanced therapeutic potential of HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin can be done with existing models, there has been no validated human cardiac cell-based assay system to rigorously assess the cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines. To understand if HER2-targeting of liposomal doxorubicin is possible with a favorable cardiac safety profile, we applied a human stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte platform to evaluate the doxorubicin exposure of human cardiac cells to HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known application of a stem cell-derived system for evaluating preclinical cardiotoxicity of an investigational agent. We demonstrate that HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin has little or no uptake into human cardiomyocytes, does not inhibit HER2-mediated signaling, results in little or no evidence of cardiomyocyte cell death or dysfunction, and retains the low penetration into heart tissue of liposomal doxorubicin. Taken together, this data ultimately led to the clinical decision to advance this drug to Phase I clinical testing, which is now ongoing as a single agent in HER2-expressing cancers. -- Highlights: ► Novel approach using stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to assess preclinical safety. ► HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin has improved safety profile vs free doxorubicin

  3. HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin displays enhanced anti-tumorigenic effects without associated cardiotoxicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reynolds, Joseph G.; Geretti, Elena; Hendriks, Bart S.; Lee, Helen; Leonard, Shannon C.; Klinz, Stephan G.; Noble, Charles O. [Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, 1 Kendall Square, Suite B7201, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Lücker, Petra B.; Zandstra, Peter W. [University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Office 1116, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1 (Canada); Drummond, Daryl C.; Olivier, Kenneth J.; Nielsen, Ulrik B.; Niyikiza, Clet; Agresta, Samuel V. [Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, 1 Kendall Square, Suite B7201, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Wickham, Thomas J., E-mail: twickham@merrimackpharma.com [Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, 1 Kendall Square, Suite B7201, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

    2012-07-01

    Anthracycline-based regimens are a mainstay of early breast cancer therapy, however their use is limited by cardiac toxicity. The potential for cardiotoxicity is a major consideration in the design and development of combinatorial therapies incorporating anthracyclines and agents that target the HER2-mediated signaling pathway, such as trastuzumab. In this regard, HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin was developed to provide clinical benefit by both reducing the cardiotoxicity observed with anthracyclines and enhancing the therapeutic potential of HER2-based therapies that are currently available for HER2-overexpressing cancers. While documenting the enhanced therapeutic potential of HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin can be done with existing models, there has been no validated human cardiac cell-based assay system to rigorously assess the cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines. To understand if HER2-targeting of liposomal doxorubicin is possible with a favorable cardiac safety profile, we applied a human stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte platform to evaluate the doxorubicin exposure of human cardiac cells to HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known application of a stem cell-derived system for evaluating preclinical cardiotoxicity of an investigational agent. We demonstrate that HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin has little or no uptake into human cardiomyocytes, does not inhibit HER2-mediated signaling, results in little or no evidence of cardiomyocyte cell death or dysfunction, and retains the low penetration into heart tissue of liposomal doxorubicin. Taken together, this data ultimately led to the clinical decision to advance this drug to Phase I clinical testing, which is now ongoing as a single agent in HER2-expressing cancers. -- Highlights: ► Novel approach using stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to assess preclinical safety. ► HER2-targeted liposomal doxorubicin has improved safety profile vs free doxorubicin

  4. Is there a role for amplifiers in sexual selection?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gualla, Filippo; Cermelli, Paolo; Castellano, Sergio

    2008-05-21

    The amplifier hypothesis states that selection could favour the evolution of traits in signallers that improve the ability of receivers to extract honest information from other signals or cues. We provide a formal definition of amplifiers based on the receiver's mechanisms of signal perception and we present a game-theoretical model in which males advertise their quality and females use sequential-sampling tactics to choose among prospective mates. The main effect of an amplifier on the female mating strategy is to increase her mating threshold, making the female more selective as the effectiveness of the amplifier increases. The effects of the amplifier on male advertising strategy depends both on the context and on the types of the amplifier involved. We consider two different contexts for the evolution of amplifiers (when the effect of amplifiers is on signals and when it is on cues) and two types of amplifiers (the 'neutral amplifier', when it improves quality assessment without altering male attractiveness, and the 'attractive amplifier', when it improves both quality assessment and male attractiveness). The game-theoretical model provides two main results. First, neutral and attractive amplifiers represent, respectively, a conditional and an unconditional signalling strategy. In fact, at the equilibrium, neutral amplifiers are displayed only by males whose advertising level lays above the female acceptance threshold, whereas attractive amplifiers are displayed by all signalling males, independent of their quality. Second, amplifiers of signals increase the differences in advertising levels between amplifying and not-amplifying males, but they decrease the differences within each group, so that the system converges towards an 'all-or-nothing' signalling strategy. By applying concepts from information theory, we show that the increase in information transfer at the perception level due to the amplifier of signals is contrasted by a decrease in information

  5. Virus-resembling nano-structures for near infrared fluorescence imaging of ovarian cancer HER2 receptors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerrero, Yadir A.; Bahmani, Baharak; Singh, Sheela P.; Vullev, Valentine I.; Kundra, Vikas; Anvari, Bahman

    2015-10-01

    Ovarian cancer remains the dominant cause of death due to malignancies of the female reproductive system. The capability to identify and remove all tumors during intraoperative procedures may ultimately reduce cancer recurrence, and lead to increased patient survival. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of an optical nano-structured system for targeted near infrared (NIR) imaging of ovarian cancer cells that over-express the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), an important biomarker associated with ovarian cancer. The nano-structured system is comprised of genome-depleted plant-infecting brome mosaic virus doped with NIR chromophore, indocyanine green, and functionalized at the surface by covalent attachment of monoclonal antibodies against the HER2 receptor. We use absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering to characterize the physical properties of the constructs. Using fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry, we demonstrate the effectiveness of these nano-structures for targeted NIR imaging of HER2 receptors in vitro. These functionalized nano-materials may provide a platform for NIR imaging of ovarian cancer.

  6. Virus-resembling nano-structures for near infrared fluorescence imaging of ovarian cancer HER2 receptors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guerrero, Yadir A; Bahmani, Baharak; Vullev, Valentine I; Anvari, Bahman; Singh, Sheela P; Kundra, Vikas

    2015-01-01

    Ovarian cancer remains the dominant cause of death due to malignancies of the female reproductive system. The capability to identify and remove all tumors during intraoperative procedures may ultimately reduce cancer recurrence, and lead to increased patient survival. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of an optical nano-structured system for targeted near infrared (NIR) imaging of ovarian cancer cells that over-express the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), an important biomarker associated with ovarian cancer. The nano-structured system is comprised of genome-depleted plant-infecting brome mosaic virus doped with NIR chromophore, indocyanine green, and functionalized at the surface by covalent attachment of monoclonal antibodies against the HER2 receptor. We use absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering to characterize the physical properties of the constructs. Using fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry, we demonstrate the effectiveness of these nano-structures for targeted NIR imaging of HER2 receptors in vitro. These functionalized nano-materials may provide a platform for NIR imaging of ovarian cancer. (paper)

  7. A non-uniform three-gap buncher cavity with suppression of transverse-electromagnetic mode leakage in the triaxial klystron amplifier

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qi, Zumin; Zhang, Jun, E-mail: zhangjun-nudt@126.com; Zhong, Huihuang; Zhu, Danni; Qiu, Yongfeng [College of Optoelectric Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410073 (China)

    2014-01-15

    The triaxial klystron amplifier is an efficient high power relativistic klystron amplifier operating at high frequencies due to its coaxial structure with large radius. However, the coaxial structures result in coupling problems among the cavities as the TEM mode is not cut-off in the coaxial tube. Therefore, the suppression of the TEM mode leakage, especially the leakage from the buncher cavity to the input cavity, is crucial in the design of a triaxial klystron amplifier. In this paper, a non-uniform three-gap buncher cavity is proposed to suppress the TEM mode leakage. The cold cavity analysis shows that the non-uniform three-gap buncher cavity can significantly suppress the TEM mode generation compared to a uniform three-gap buncher cavity. Particle-in-cell simulation shows that the power leakage to the input cavity is less than 1.5‰ of the negative power in the buncher cavity and the buncher cavity can efficiently modulate an intense relativistic electron beam free of self-oscillations. A fundamental current modulation depth of 117% is achieved by employing the proposed non-uniform buncher cavity into an X-band triaxial amplifier, which results in the high efficiency generation of high power microwave.

  8. Color feature extraction of HER2 Score 2+ overexpression on breast cancer using Image Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhimmah Izzati

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the major challenges in the development of early diagnosis to assess HER2 status is recognized in the form of Gold Standard. The accuracy, validity and refraction of the Gold Standard HER2 methods are widely used in laboratory (Perez, et al., 2014. Method determining the status of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 is affected by reproductive problems and not reliable in predicting the benefit from anti-HER2 therapy (Nuciforo, et al., 2016. We extracted color features by methods adopting Statistics-based segmentation using a continuous-scale naïve Bayes approach. In this study, there were three parts of the main groups, namely image acquisition, image segmentation, and image testing. The stages of image acquisition consisted of image data collection and color deconvolution. The stages of image segmentation consisted of color features, classifier training, classifier prediction, and skeletonization. The stages of image testing were image testing, expert validation, and expert validation results. Area segmentation of the membrane is false positive and false negative. False positive and false negative from area are called the area of system failure. The failure of the system can be validated by experts that the results of segmentation region is not membrane HER2 (noise and the segmentation of the cytoplasm region. The average from 40 data of HER2 score 2+ membrane images show that 75.13% of the area is successfully recognized by the system.

  9. Leptin/HER2 crosstalk in breast cancer: in vitro study and preliminary in vivo analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fiorio, Elena; Bonetti, Franco; Giordano, Antonio; Cetto, Gian Luigi; Surmacz, Eva; Mercanti, Anna; Terrasi, Marianna; Micciolo, Rocco; Remo, Andrea; Auriemma, Alessandra; Molino, Annamaria; Parolin, Veronica; Di Stefano, Bruno

    2008-01-01

    Obesity in postmenopausal women is associated with increased breast cancer risk, development of more aggressive tumors and resistance to certain anti-breast cancer treatments. Some of these effects might be mediated by obesity hormone leptin, acting independently or modulating other signaling pathways. Here we focused on the link between leptin and HER2. We tested if HER2 and the leptin receptor (ObR) can be coexpressed in breast cancer cell models, whether these two receptors can physically interact, and whether leptin can transactivate HER2. Next, we studied if leptin/ObR can coexist with HER2 in breast cancer tissues, and if presence of these two systems correlates with specific clinicopathological features. Expression of ObR, HER2, phospo-HER2 was assessed by immonoblotting. Physical interactions between ObR and HER2 were probed by immunoprecipitation and fluorescent immunostaining. Expression of leptin and ObR in breast cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Associations among markers studied by IHC were evaluated using Fisher's exact test for count data. HER2 and ObR were coexpressed in all studied breast cancer cell lines. In MCF-7 cells, HER2 physically interacted with ObR and leptin treatment increased HER2 phosphorylation on Tyr 1248. In 59 breast cancers, the presence of leptin was correlated with ObR (the overall association was about 93%). This result was confirmed both in HER2-positive and in HER2-negative subgroups. The expression of leptin or ObR was numerically more frequent in larger (> 10 mm) tumors. Coexpression of HER2 and the leptin/ObR system might contribute to enhanced HER2 activity and reduced sensitivity to anti-HER2 treatments

  10. HER-2 positive and p53 negative breast cancers are associated with poor prognosis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    2011-06-01

    p53 and HER-2 coexpression in breast cancer has been controversial. These markers were tested using immunohistochemistry and HercepTest. HER-2 expression is related to reduced breast cancer survival (p = .02) . p53 expression relates to HER-2 expression (p = .029). Coexpression between p53 and HER-2 has no relation to prognosis. On univariate and multivariate analysis, combination of HER-2 positive and p53 negative expression was associated with a poor prognosis (p = .018 and p = .027, respectively), while the combination of HER-2 negative and p53 positive expression was associated with a favorable prognosis (p = .022 and p = .010, respectively). Therefore the expression of these markers should be considered collectively.

  11. HER-2 positive and p53 negative breast cancers are associated with poor prognosis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    2012-02-01

    p53 and HER-2 coexpression in breast cancer has been controversial. These markers were tested using immunohistochemistry and HercepTest. HER-2 expression is related to reduced breast cancer survival (p = .02) . p53 expression relates to HER-2 expression (p = .029). Coexpression between p53 and HER-2 has no relation to prognosis. On univariate and multivariate analysis, combination of HER-2 positive and p53 negative expression was associated with a poor prognosis (p = .018 and p = .027, respectively), while the combination of HER-2 negative and p53 positive expression was associated with a favorable prognosis (p = .022 and p = .010, respectively). Therefore the expression of these markers should be considered collectively.

  12. Importance of measuring Non-HDL cholesterol in type 2 diabetes patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ram, N.; Hashmi, F.; Jabbar, A

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To study the correlation between Non-high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and the proportion of patients achieving Adult Treatment Panel III recommended goals. Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted at the Diabetic Clinic, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Data of Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who attended the clinic between 2007 and 2011 was reviewed. All Type 2 diabetic patients of either gender with fasting lipid profile irrespective of taking lipid lowering therapy were included. Type-1 DM, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes patients with pregnancy and those with incomplete data were excluded. Correlation between the low-density lipoprotein and Non- high-density lipoprotein was assessed by applying Cramer V and phi. Proportion of patients achieving Adult Treatment Panel III recommended goals was checked. Multivariable regression was done to identify common factors associated with elevated Non- high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Results: A total of 1352 patients fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included in the study. Mean age of the patients was 54.5+-11.3 years; 797 (59%) were males; 1122 (83%) had Body Mass Index above 25; and 1016 (75%) had HbA1c >7%. Mean Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 129+-42mg/dl. Mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 100+-37mg/dl. Both low-density lipoprotein 130mg/dl (p 100mg/dl was independently associated with having Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol >130mg/dl (Adjusted Odds Ratio 38.6; 95% Confidance Interval 28.1-53.1). Similarly, age 130 mg/dl (Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.6; 95% Confidance Interval = 1.01 - 2.3). Whereas having obesity Body Mass Index >25 was 3.6 times more associated to have Non-high-density lipoprotein >130mg/dl (Adjusted Odds Ratio 3.6; 95% Confidance Interval = 1.6-7.7). In patients with coronary artery disease, combined goal achievement of low-density lipoprotein 100mg/dl (p <0

  13. IOT based RF power systems as an alternative to klystron amplifier in Indus-2 at the rate 505.812 MHz

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deo, R.K.; Jain, M.K.; Kumar, Gautam; Lad, Mahendra; Badapanda, M.K.; Bagre, Sunil; Upadhyay, Rinki; Tripathi, Akhilesh; Rao, J.N.; Pandiyar, Mohan; Hannurkar, P.R.

    2013-01-01

    Due to non-availability of replacement Klystron tube in Indus-2, an IOT based high power RF amplifier system is realized. It is based on E2V make 80 kW IOTD2130 tube with its circuit assembly IMD2000ST. This amplifier system is easily available commercially due to its application in DTV broadcast. It has inherent advantages over klystron amplifier viz. high efficiency (η), less phase and amplitude sensitivity to HV ripple, higher linearity, compactness and less cooling requirement. This high power IOT amplifier is tested with its required control system, cooling system, electron gun auxiliary supplies, beam supply and focusing supply. The nominal beam voltage for this IOT is -36 kV however amplifier was tested successfully with indigenously developed -32 kV, crowbar less power supply. The optimum load impedance for IOT beam was calculated for this bias voltage ( 32kV). For the required load impedance, coupling coefficient (β) of output coupler to the O/P cavity was estimated and accordingly loop angle was adjusted. The amplifier has been tested up to 50 kW with amplifier efficiency 60% and gain 23 dB at - 32 kV beam voltage. (author)

  14. Standardization and optimization of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH for HER-2 assessment in breast cancer: A single center experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magdalena Bogdanovska-Todorovska

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Accurate assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2 is crucial in selecting patients for targeted therapy. Commonly used methods for HER-2 testing are immunohistochemistry (IHC and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH. Here we presented the implementation, optimization and standardization of two FISH protocols using breast cancer samples and assessed the impact of pre-analytical and analytical factors on HER-2 testing. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE tissue samples from 70 breast cancer patients were tested for HER-2 using PathVysion™ HER-2 DNA Probe Kit and two different paraffin pretreatment kits, Vysis/Abbott Paraffin Pretreatment Reagent Kit (40 samples and DAKO Histology FISH Accessory Kit (30 samples. The concordance between FISH and IHC results was determined. Pre-analytical and analytical factors (i.e., fixation, baking, digestion, and post-hybridization washing affected the efficiency and quality of hybridization. The overall hybridization success in our study was 98.6% (69/70; the failure rate was 1.4%. The DAKO pretreatment kit was more time-efficient and resulted in more uniform signals that were easier to interpret, compared to the Vysis/Abbott kit. The overall concordance between IHC and FISH was 84.06%, kappa coefficient 0.5976 (p < 0.0001. The greatest discordance (82% between IHC and FISH was observed in IHC 2+ group. A standardized FISH protocol for HER-2 assessment, with high hybridization efficiency, is necessary due to variability in tissue processing and individual tissue characteristics. Differences in the pre-analytical and analytical steps can affect the hybridization quality and efficiency. The use of DAKO pretreatment kit is time-saving and cost-effective.

  15. Integrated molecular targeting of IGF1R and HER2 surface receptors and destruction of breast cancer cells using single wall carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shao Ning; Lu Shaoxin; Wickstrom, Eric; Panchapakesan, Balaji

    2007-01-01

    Molecular targeting and photodynamic therapy have shown great potential for selective cancer therapy. We hypothesized that monoclonal antibodies that are specific to the IGF1 receptor and HER2 cell surface antigens could be bound to single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in order to concentrate SWCNT on breast cancer cells for specific near-infrared phototherapy. SWCNT functionalized with HER2 and IGF1R specific antibodies showed selective attachment to breast cancer cells compared to SWCNT functionalized with non-specific antibodies. After the complexes were attached to specific cancer cells, SWCNT were excited by ∼808 nm infrared photons at ∼800 mW cm -2 for 3 min. Viability after phototherapy was determined by Trypan blue exclusion. Cells incubated with SWCNT/non-specific antibody hybrids were still alive after photo-thermal treatment due to the lack of SWNT binding to the cell membrane. All cancerous cells treated with IGF1R and HER2 specific antibody/SWCNT hybrids and receiving infrared photons showed cell death after the laser excitation. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that all the cells treated with SWCNT/IGF1R and HER2 specific antibody complex were completely destroyed, while more than 80% of the cells with SWCNT/non-specific antibody hybrids remained alive. Following multi-component targeting of IGF1R and HER2 surface receptors, integrated photo-thermal therapy in breast cancer cells led to the complete destruction of cancer cells. Functionalizing SWCNT with antibodies in combination with their intrinsic optical properties can therefore lead to a new class of molecular delivery and cancer therapeutic systems

  16. Over-expression of HER-2 is associated with the stage in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: The frequency of over-expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) in bladder cancer is one of the highest among all human malignancies. This over-expression is thought to play a role in aberrant proliferation of cancer cells. Studies on HER-2 expression in bladder carcinoma have shown ...

  17. Dual-colour chromogenic in-situ hybridization is a potential alternative to fluorescence in-situ hybridization in HER2 testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Cheng-Cheng; Pintye, Mariann; Chang, Liang-Che; Chen, Huang-Yang; Yeh, Kun-Yan; Chein, Hui-Ping; Lee, Nin; Chen, Jim-Ray

    2011-11-01

    Dual-colour chromogenic in-situ hybridization (dc-CISH) is an emerging methodology for characterizing genomic alterations. This study was aimed at evaluating the performance of a dc-CISH kit (ZytoVision) in determining human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status in breast cancer. Two hundred and twenty-eight invasive breast carcinomas arranged in tissue microarrays were analysed in parallel with dc-CISH, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), and immunohistochemistry. Of 227 tumours with available FISH and dc-CISH results, HER2 amplification and non-amplification were detected in 49 (21.6%) and 178 (78.4%) tumours, respectively, by both assays. The concordance between dc-CISH and FISH results showed 100% agreement (κ-coefficient=1.00). Immunohistochemically, 162 (71%), 25 (11.0%) and 41 (18%) tumours were scored 0/1+, 2+, and 3+, respectively. The corresponding results with both FISH and dc-CISH demonstrated HER2 amplification in two (3.2%), nine (36%) and 38 (93%) tumours, respectively. Complete consensus among these three methods was observed in 197 cases, representing 98% of all 3+ and 0/1+ tumours (κ-coefficient=0.92). Confirmatory testing of 25 2+ tumours showed complete consensus between FISH and dc-CISH. dc-CISH is a promising alternative to FISH in HER2 testing, and the single-institute incidence of HER2 amplification in breast cancer in Taiwan is 21.2%. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Limited.

  18. Decreased background parenchymal enhancement of the contralateral breast after two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with tumor response in HER2-positive breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Chao; Gu, Yajia; Peng, Wen; Li, Jianwei; Shen, Xuxia; Liu, Guangyu; Peng, Weijun

    2018-07-01

    Background Several recent studies have focused on the association between background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) and tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), but early prediction of tumor response based on BPE has yet not been investigated. Purpose To retrospectively investigate whether changes in the BPE of the contralateral breast following NAC could help predict tumor response in early stage HER2-positive breast cancer. Material and Methods Data from 71 patients who were diagnosed with unilateral HER2 positive breast cancer and then underwent NAC with trastuzumab before surgery were analyzed retrospectively. Two experienced radiologists independently categorized the patients' levels of BPE of the contralateral breast into four categories (1 = minimal, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, 4 = marked) at baseline and after the second cycle of NAC. After undergoing surgery, 34 patients achieved pathologic complete response (pCR) and 37 patients had residual disease (non-pCR). The association between BPE and histopathologic tumor response was analyzed. Result The level of BPE was higher in premenopausal than post-menopausal women both at baseline and after the second cycle of NAC ( P < 0.005). A significant reduction in BPE ( P < 0.001) was observed after the second NAC cycle; however, a more obvious decrease in BPE was identified in premenopausal relative to post-menopausal women ( P = 0.041). No significant association was identified between pCR and baseline BPE ( P = 0.287). However, after the second NAC cycle, decreased BPE was significantly associated with pCR ( P = 0.003). Conclusion For HER2-positive patients, changes in BPE may serve as an additional imaging biomarker of treatment response at an early stage.

  19. Retrospective study of the effect of disease progression on patient reported outcomes in HER-2 negative metastatic breast cancer patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Elaine

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This retrospective study evaluated the impact of disease progression and of specific sites of metastasis on patient reported outcomes (PROs that assess symptom burden and health related quality of life (HRQoL in women with metastatic breast cancer (mBC. Methods HER-2 negative mBC patients (n = 102 were enrolled from 7 U.S. community oncology practices. Demographic, disease and treatment characteristics were abstracted from electronic medical records and linked to archived Patient Care Monitor (PCM assessments. The PCM is a self-report measure of symptom burden and HRQoL administered as part of routine care in participating practices. Linear mixed models were used to examine change in PCM scores over time. Results Mean age was 57 years, with 72% of patients Caucasian, and 25% African American. Median time from mBC diagnosis to first disease progression was 8.8 months. Metastasis to bone (60%, lung (28% and liver (26% predominated at initial metastatic diagnosis. Results showed that PCM items assessing fatigue, physical pain and trouble sleeping were sensitive to either general effects of disease progression or to effects associated with specific sites of metastasis. Progression of disease was also associated with modest but significant worsening of General Physical Symptoms, Treatment Side Effects, Acute Distress and Impaired Performance index scores. In addition, there were marked detrimental effects of liver metastasis on Treatment Side Effects, and of brain metastasis on Acute Distress. Conclusions Disease progression has a detrimental impact on cancer-related symptoms. Delaying disease progression may have a positive impact on patients' HRQoL.

  20. Two distinct mTORC2-dependent pathways converge on Rac1 to drive breast cancer metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison Joly, Meghan; Williams, Michelle M; Hicks, Donna J; Jones, Bayley; Sanchez, Violeta; Young, Christian D; Sarbassov, Dos D; Muller, William J; Brantley-Sieders, Dana; Cook, Rebecca S

    2017-06-30

    The importance of the mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) signaling complex in tumor progression is becoming increasingly recognized. HER2-amplified breast cancers use Rictor/mTORC2 signaling to drive tumor formation, tumor cell survival and resistance to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy. Cell motility, a key step in the metastatic process, can be activated by mTORC2 in luminal and triple negative breast cancer cell lines, but its role in promoting metastases from HER2-amplified breast cancers is not yet clear. Because Rictor is an obligate cofactor of mTORC2, we genetically engineered Rictor ablation or overexpression in mouse and human HER2-amplified breast cancer models for modulation of mTORC2 activity. Signaling through mTORC2-dependent pathways was also manipulated using pharmacological inhibitors of mTOR, Akt, and Rac. Signaling was assessed by western analysis and biochemical pull-down assays specific for Rac-GTP and for active Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Metastases were assessed from spontaneous tumors and from intravenously delivered tumor cells. Motility and invasion of cells was assessed using Matrigel-coated transwell assays. We found that Rictor ablation potently impaired, while Rictor overexpression increased, metastasis in spontaneous and intravenously seeded models of HER2-overexpressing breast cancers. Additionally, migration and invasion of HER2-amplified human breast cancer cells was diminished in the absence of Rictor, or upon pharmacological mTOR kinase inhibition. Active Rac1 was required for Rictor-dependent invasion and motility, which rescued invasion/motility in Rictor depleted cells. Rictor/mTORC2-dependent dampening of the endogenous Rac1 inhibitor RhoGDI2, a factor that correlated directly with increased overall survival in HER2-amplified breast cancer patients, promoted Rac1 activity and tumor cell invasion/migration. The mTORC2 substrate Akt did not affect RhoGDI2 dampening, but partially

  1. Near-infrared quantum dots for HER2 localization and imaging of cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizvi, Sarwat B; Rouhi, Sepideh; Taniguchi, Shohei; Yang, Shi Yu; Green, Mark; Keshtgar, Mo; Seifalian, Alexander M

    2014-01-01

    Quantum dots are fluorescent nanoparticles with unique photophysical properties that allow them to be used as diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic agents, particularly in medical and surgical oncology. Near-infrared-emitting quantum dots can be visualized in deep tissues because the biological window is transparent to these wavelengths. Their small sizes and free surface reactive groups that can be conjugated to biomolecules make them ideal probes for in vivo cancer localization, targeted chemotherapy, and image-guided cancer surgery. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene (HER2/neu) is overexpressed in 25%-30% of breast cancers. The current methods of detection for HER2 status, including immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization, are used ex vivo and cannot be used in vivo. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of near-infrared-emitting quantum dots for HER2 localization in fixed and live cancer cells as a first step prior to their in vivo application. Near-infrared-emitting quantum dots were characterized and their in vitro toxicity was established using three cancer cell lines, ie, HepG2, SK-BR-3 (HER2-overexpressing), and MCF7 (HER2-underexpressing). Mouse antihuman anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody was conjugated to the near-infrared-emitting quantum dots. In vitro toxicity studies showed biocompatibility of SK-BR-3 and MCF7 cell lines with near-infrared-emitting quantum dots at a concentration of 60 μg/mL after one hour and 24 hours of exposure. Near-infrared-emitting quantum dot antiHER2-antibody bioconjugates successfully localized HER2 receptors on SK-BR-3 cells. Near-infrared-emitting quantum dot bioconjugates can be used for rapid localization of HER2 receptors and can potentially be used for targeted therapy as well as image-guided surgery.

  2. Chromogenic in situ Hybridization Compared with Real time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction to Evaluate HER2/neu Status in Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayatollahi, Hossein; Fani, Azar; Ghayoor Karimiani, Ehsan; Homaee, Fateme; Shajiei, Arezoo; Sheikh, Maryam; Shakeri, Sepideh; Shams, Seyyede Fatemeh

    2017-01-01

    The assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status has become of great importance in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization (CISH) to assess HER2 status of biopsy specimens. To elucidate the status of HER2 gene amplification, biopsies of breast carcinoma from 120 patients with 2+ IHC status were analyzed by qPCR and CISH. The results of the two experiments were compared, and it was depicted that the concordance rate between CISH and qPCR assays was 88.1%.The quantification of HER2 gene with CISH and qPCR showed that there was a significant correlation (p value= 0.0001 and r= 0.808). The results of this research support the idea that qPCR is a precise and reproducible technique, which can be employed as a supplementary method to evaluate HER2 status.

  3. Trastuzumab for HER-2-Positive Advanced Salivary Gland Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Tsung Yang

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Salivary gland adenocarcinoma is a rare type of head and neck cancer and often has aggressive behavior with propensity to recur and metastasize. Currently, there are no standard treatment guidelines. Surgery is however, the mainstay of treatment in resectable disease and radiation is also considered for most patients after surgery. Systemic chemotherapy is reserved for metastatic cases, but its results are often disappointing. Recent development of molecular biology has shown that salivary gland caner has several molecular changes which may guide potential therapeutic targets. Here, we report a 67 year-old man diagnosed to have metastasized minor salivary gland adenocarcinoma with diffuse human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2-positive, by the immunohistochemical (IHC stain. He was treated with a trastuzumab-containing chemotherapeutic regimen with encouraging results.

  4. Metastatic hidradenocarcinoma with demonstration of Her-2/neu gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization: potential treatment implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nash, Jason W; Barrett, Terry L; Kies, Merrill; Ross, Merrick I; Sneige, Nour; Diwan, A Hafeez; Lazar, Alexander J F

    2007-01-01

    A 44-year-old man was referred for a right chest nodule of 3 months duration. A 'benign' nodule had been excised from this location 8 years prior. On examination, palpable nodes were noted in the right axilla. Radiographic studies were significant only for right axillary lymphadenopathy. Histologically, a nodular dermal proliferation composed of poorly differentiated epithelioid cells in nests and focally forming ducts with pseudopapillary architecture comprised the primary tumor. Features of a clear cell hidradenoma were noted focally. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis revealed reactivity for HMW cytokeratins, CK5 and CK7, p53, p63, CEA (focal), androgen receptor, EGFR, estrogen receptor (ER), MUC5AC, and strong/diffuse membranous staining for Her-2/neu. Negative stains included villin, TTF-1, CDX2, S-100 protein, vimentin, gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15), mammoglobulin, and MUC2. A wide local excision and axillary node dissection was performed. Metastatic tumor involved nine of 28 nodes. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrated chromosomal amplification of the Her-2/neu locus within the tumor and a nodal metastasis. The patient has completed adjuvant and radiotherapy, including trastuzumab, and is asymptomatic. We believe this to be the first demonstration of Her-2/neu amplification in a malignant skin adnexal tumor. In analogy to breast carcinoma, these findings suggest the applicability of trastuzumab for patients with metastatic adnexal carcinomas demonstrating Her-2/neu amplification.

  5. Utility of cytopathological specimens and an automated image analysis for the evaluation of HER2 status and intratumor heterogeneity in breast carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arihiro, Koji; Oda, Miyo; Ogawa, Katsunari; Kaneko, Yoshie; Shimizu, Tomomi; Tanaka, Yuna; Marubashi, Yukari; Ishida, Katsunari; Takai, Chikako; Taoka, Chie; Kimura, Shuji; Shiroma, Noriyuki

    2016-12-01

    Although updated HER2 testing guidelines have been improved by a collaboration between the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in 2013, HER2 evaluation is still problematic because of issues involving CEP17 polysomy, heterogeneity, and HER2 score 2+ cases. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the relationship between HER2 gene heterogeneity, or so called CEP17 polysomy, using breast carcinoma cells sampled by scraping and the IHC score graded by automated image analysis using whole slide image. We randomly selected 23 breast carcinoma cases with a HER2 score 0, 24 cases with a HER2 score 1+, 24 cases with HER2 score 2+, and 23 cases with HER2 score 3+ from the records of patients with breast cancer at Hiroshima University Hospital. We compared the results of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and cytological samples and compared the HER2 score calculated using an automated image analysis using wholly scanned slide images and visual counting. We successfully performed the FISH assay in 78 of 94 cases (83%) using FFPE tissues and in all 94 (100%) cases using cytological samples. Frequency of both HER2 amplification and CEP17 polysomy was higher when cytological samples were used than when FFPE tissue was used. Frequency of HER2 heterogeneity using cytological samples was higher that than using FFPE tissue, except for the IHC score 3+ cases. When assessment of HER2 status based on FISH using FFPE tissue cannot be accomplished, FISH using cytological samples should be considered. When intensity of HER2 is heterogeneous in the tumor tissue, particularly in cases regarded as score 2+, they should be evaluated by automated image analysis using the whole slide image. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  6. Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90 and Her2 in Adenocarcinomas of the Esophagus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Slotta-Huspenina

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Her2 overexpression and amplification can be found in a significant subset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. The activity of Her2 has been shown to be modulated by molecular chaperones such as HSP90. We analyzed expression/amplification data for HSP90 and Her2 on 127 primary resected esophageal adenocarcinomas in order to evaluate a possible relationship between these two molecules. HSP90 expression determined by immunohistochemistry was observed in various levels. Thirty nine (39 tumors (30.7% were classified as Her2-positive according to their immunoreactivity and amplification status. There was a significant correlation between HSP90 expression and Her2-status (p = 0.008. This could also be demonstrated by quantitative protein expression analysis with reverse phase protein arrays (r = 0.9; p < 0.001. Her2-status was associated withpT-category (p = 0.041, lymph node metastases (p = 0.049 and tumor differentiation (p = 0.036 with a higher percentage of cases with negative Her2 status in lower tumor stagesA negative Her2-status was also associated with better survival in univariate and multivariate analysis (p = 0.001 and p = 0.014. For HSP90, no associations between clinical and pathological parameters were found. The observed association between HSP90 expression and Her2 suggests a co-regulation of these molecules in at least a subset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. Anti-HSP90 drugs, which recently have been introduced in cancer treatment, may also be an option for these tumors by targeting HSP90 alone or in combination with Her2.

  7. Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) and Her2 in Adenocarcinomas of the Esophagus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Slotta-Huspenina, Julia; Becker, Karl-Friedrich [Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität München, München 81765 (Germany); Feith, Marcus [Department of Surgery, Klinikum Rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München 81622 (Germany); Walch, Axel [Institute of Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Neuherberg 85764 (Germany); Langer, Rupert, E-mail: rupert.langer@pathology.unibe.ch [Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern 3010 (Switzerland)

    2014-06-27

    Her2 overexpression and amplification can be found in a significant subset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. The activity of Her2 has been shown to be modulated by molecular chaperones such as HSP90. We analyzed expression/amplification data for HSP90 and Her2 on 127 primary resected esophageal adenocarcinomas in order to evaluate a possible relationship between these two molecules. HSP90 expression determined by immunohistochemistry was observed in various levels. Thirty nine (39) tumors (30.7%) were classified as Her2-positive according to their immunoreactivity and amplification status. There was a significant correlation between HSP90 expression and Her2-status (p = 0.008). This could also be demonstrated by quantitative protein expression analysis with reverse phase protein arrays (r = 0.9; p < 0.001). Her2-status was associated withpT-category (p = 0.041), lymph node metastases (p = 0.049) and tumor differentiation (p = 0.036) with a higher percentage of cases with negative Her2 status in lower tumor stagesA negative Her2-status was also associated with better survival in univariate and multivariate analysis (p = 0.001 and p = 0.014). For HSP90, no associations between clinical and pathological parameters were found. The observed association between HSP90 expression and Her2 suggests a co-regulation of these molecules in at least a subset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. Anti-HSP90 drugs, which recently have been introduced in cancer treatment, may also be an option for these tumors by targeting HSP90 alone or in combination with Her2.

  8. Rabbit antibodies for hormone receptors and HER2 evaluation in breast cancer Anticorpos de coelho para avaliação de receptores hormonais e HER2 em câncer de mama

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Malagoli Rocha

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Novel rabbit monoclonal antibodies (RabMab for estrogen (ER, progesterone (PR receptors and HER2 evaluation by immunohistochemistry have recently been commercially released. We compared the RabMab anti-ER, anti-PR and anti-HER2 to mouse monoclonal antibodies (Mab using tissue microarrays (TMA of breast carcinomas. METHODS: Two TMA containing breast carcinomas were built. Sections were immunostained using anti-ER and anti-PR, Mab and RabMab. The sections stained for ER and PR were evaluated considering positive those tumors in which more than 1% of the tumor cell nuclei stained moderate or strong. For HER2, the immunostained sections were evaluated using the ASCO/CAP guidelines for HER2. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH was used as the gold standard for HER2 evaluation. CISH was evaluated using the Zymed HER2 CISH interpretation guidelines. RESULTS: RabMab against ER have similar staining patterns compared to the 6F11 (Mab, but stronger than 1D5 (Mab from three different suppliers. The RabMab against PR provide stronger and sharper immunohistochemical signals compared to Mab. The detection of HER2 protein overexpression was more prevalent with the polyclonal antibodies and RabMab than with the Mab. These were more specific than the RabMab, which were more sensitive when compared to CISH. CONCLUSION: The novel RabMab against ER and PR showed higher intensity of staining than the Mab. The RabMab against HER2 is more sensitive than Mab, however, Mab presented more specificity than RabMab when compared to CISH for HER2 evaluation of breast carcinomas.OBJETIVOS: Novos anticorpos monoclonais de coelho (RabMab para a avaliação imuno-histoquímica de receptores de estrógeno (RE, progesterona (RP e HER2 foram lançados comercialmente. Comparamos os RabMab anti-RE, anti-RP e anti-HER2 com os anticorpos monoclonais de camundongo (Mab utilizando tissue microarrays (TMA de carcinomas de mama. MÉTODOS: Foram construídos dois TMAs de

  9. A phase II single institution single arm prospective study with paclitaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin (TIP) as first-line chemotherapy in high-risk germ cell tumor patients with more than ten years follow-up and retrospective correlation with ERCC1, Topoisomerase 1, 2A, p53 and HER-2 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ligia Cebotaru, Cristina; Zenovia Antone, Nicoleta; Diana Olteanu, Elena; Bejinariu, Nona; Buiga, Rares; Todor, Nicolae; Ioana Iancu, Dana; Eliade Ciuleanu, Tudor; Nagy, Viorica

    2016-01-01

    One half of high-risk germ cell tumor (HRGCT) patients relapse after standard chemotherapy. This phase II study evaluated prospectively the toxicity and efficacy in first-line of the paclitaxel-ifosfamide-cisplatin combination (TIP) in HRGCT patients and tried to identify biomarkers that may allow patient-tailored treatments. Between October 1997- September 2000, 28 chemo-naive HRGCT patients were enrolled. Patients received 4 cycles of TIP (paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) day 1/; ifosfamide 1.2 g/m(2)/day, days 1-5; Mesna 1.2 g/m(2)/day, days 1-5; and cisplatin 20 mg/m(2)/day, days 1-5 every 3 weeks). A non-randomized comparison was made between HRGCT patients treated in the same period with first-line TIP and bleomycin-etoposide-cisplatin (BEP) (28 patients vs 20). In 17 HRGCT patients treated between 1998-2006, ERCC1, Topoisomerase 1 and 2A, p53 and HER-2 expression was retrospectively analysed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) (7 patients with TIP, 10 with BEP), and correlations were made with response to chemotherapy and survival. With a median follow-up of 72 months [range 48+...89+], 5-year disease free survival (DFS) was 55%, with 95% CI 36-72, and the overall survival (OS) was 63%, with 95% CI 44-78. In June 2015, with a median follow-up of 196.47 months (range 177.30-209.27) (>15 years), 12 [%?] patients were alive and disease-free, and 16 [%?] had died (12 specific causes). There was no significant correlation between the expression of ERCC1, Topoisomerase 1 and 2A, HER-2 and p53 and response to treatment. Long-term follow-up showed no difference in OS between TIP vs BEP as first-line therapy. Both regimens had mild toxicity.

  10. Quantification and imaging of HER2 protein using nanocrystals conjugated with single-domain antibodies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glukhov, S; Berestovoy, M; Nabiev, I; Sukhanova, A; Chames, P; Baty, D

    2017-01-01

    This study dealt with quantification and imaging of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), an important prognostic marker for cancer diagnosis and treatment, using specific quantum-dot-based conjugates. Fluorescent inorganic nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) are extremely highly resistant to photobleaching and have a high emission quantum yield and a continuous range of emission spectra, from the ultraviolet to the infrared regions. Ultrasmall nanoprobes consisting of highly affine anti-HER2 single-domain antibodies (sdAbs or 'nanobodies') conjugated with QDs in a strictly oriented manner have been designed. QDs with a fluorescence peak maxima at wavelengths of 562 nm, 569 nm, 570 nm or in the near-infrared region were used. Here, we present our results of ISA quantification of HER2 protein, in situ imaging of HER2 protein on the surface of HER2-positive SK-BR-3 cells in immunohistochemical experiments, and counting of stained with anti-HER2 conjugates HER2-positive SK-BR-3 cells in their mixture with unstained cells of the same culture in flow cytometry experiments. The data demonstrate that the anti-HER2 QD–sdAb conjugates obtained are highly specific and sensitive and could be used in numerous applications for advanced integrated diagnosis. (paper)

  11. Quantification and imaging of HER2 protein using nanocrystals conjugated with single-domain antibodies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glukhov, S.; Berestovoy, M.; Chames, P.; Baty, D.; Nabiev, I.; Sukhanova, A.

    2017-01-01

    This study dealt with quantification and imaging of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), an important prognostic marker for cancer diagnosis and treatment, using specific quantum-dot-based conjugates. Fluorescent inorganic nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) are extremely highly resistant to photobleaching and have a high emission quantum yield and a continuous range of emission spectra, from the ultraviolet to the infrared regions. Ultrasmall nanoprobes consisting of highly affine anti-HER2 single-domain antibodies (sdAbs or "nanobodies") conjugated with QDs in a strictly oriented manner have been designed. QDs with a fluorescence peak maxima at wavelengths of 562 nm, 569 nm, 570 nm or in the near-infrared region were used. Here, we present our results of ISA quantification of HER2 protein, in situ imaging of HER2 protein on the surface of HER2-positive SK-BR-3 cells in immunohistochemical experiments, and counting of stained with anti-HER2 conjugates HER2-positive SK-BR-3 cells in their mixture with unstained cells of the same culture in flow cytometry experiments. The data demonstrate that the anti-HER2 QD-sdAb conjugates obtained are highly specific and sensitive and could be used in numerous applications for advanced integrated diagnosis.

  12. Palmitate-induced ER stress increases trastuzumab sensitivity in HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baumann, Jan; Wong, Jason; Sun, Yan; Conklin, Douglas S.

    2016-01-01

    HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells have recently been shown to use a unique Warburg-like metabolism for survival and aggressive behavior. These cells exhibit increased fatty acid synthesis and storage compared to normal breast cells or other tumor cells. Disruption of this synthetic process results in apoptosis. Since the addition of physiological doses of exogenous palmitate induces cell death in HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells, the pathway is likely operating at its limits in these cells. We have studied the response of HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells to physiological concentrations of exogenous palmitate to identify lipotoxicity-associated consequences of this physiology. Since epidemiological data show that a diet rich in saturated fatty acids is negatively associated with the development of HER2/neu-positive cancer, this cellular physiology may be relevant to the etiology and treatment of the disease. We sought to identify signaling pathways that are regulated by physiological concentrations of exogenous palmitate specifically in HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells and gain insights into the molecular mechanism and its relevance to disease prevention and treatment. Transcriptional profiling was performed to assess programs that are regulated in HER2-normal MCF7 and HER2/neu-positive SKBR3 breast cancer cells in response to exogenous palmitate. Computational analyses were used to define and predict functional relationships and identify networks that are differentially regulated in the two cell lines. These predictions were tested using reporter assays, fluorescence-based high content microscopy, flow cytometry and immunoblotting. Physiological effects were confirmed in HER2/neu-positive BT474 and HCC1569 breast cancer cell lines. Exogenous palmitate induces functionally distinct transcriptional programs in HER2/neu-positive breast cancer cells. In the lipogenic HER2/neu-positive SKBR3 cell line, palmitate induces a G2 phase cell cycle delay and

  13. Short term real world safety data of pertuzumab use in HER2 targeted treatment of metastatic breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ece Esin

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: With the development and widely use of HER2 targeted therapies, HER2 expressing metastatic breast cancer have no longer dismal prognosis as once expected. The combination of HER2 targeted therapies with chemotherapatic agents prolongs overall survival. Pertuzumab is a new monoclonal antibody molecule that binds to the extracellular portion of HER2 and works by inhibiting homo- and heterodimerization. The aim of this study is to document the real life data of toxicities seen in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with first line trastuzumab-pertuzumab combination therapy. Material and method: A retrospective review of 26 cases from the medical oncology patient registry was conducted to include the dates October 2016 through December 2017. The number of cycles of treatment and doses, adverse events, dose changes and course delays, reasons for treatment change and types of second line treatments are noted. The imaging and laboratory test results were obtained from the electronic registration system. The cumulative toxicity incidence was accepted as the primary endpoint. Results: The median age of the 26 cases was 54 years. The median cycle number of pertuzumab and docetaxel treatments were 9 and 7, respectively and the median duration of pertuzumab therapy was 6.75 months. As of the date of last follow-up, 80.7% of the cases were still under treatment. There was a total of 6 cases of delay in treatment, of which five were due to neutropenia, while in one case the cause was diarrhea. When the adverse events were examined, at least one side effect (excluding alopecia was observed in 16 patients and 7 cases had no toxicity except alopecia. In terms of constitutional symptoms, eight of the 19 patients had grade 1 fatique, one case had itching, and three patients had asthenia. Hematologic toxicity was seen in twelve cases and all had at least grade 1 leukopenia. Grade 3-4 febrile neutropenia occurred only in one case. Left

  14. Non-local Thermodynamic Equilibrium Abundance Analyses of the Extreme Helium Stars V652 Her and HD 144941

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandey, Gajendra; Lambert, David L.

    2017-01-01

    Optical high-resolution spectra of V652 Her and HD 144941, the two extreme helium stars with exceptionally low C/He ratios, have been subjected to a non-LTE abundance analysis using the tools TLUSTY and SYNSPEC. Defining atmospheric parameters were obtained from a grid of non-LTE atmospheres and a variety of spectroscopic indicators including He i and He ii line profiles, and the ionization equilibrium of ion pairs such as C ii/C iii and N ii/N iii. The various indicators provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters: T eff = 25,000 ± 300 K, log g = 3.10 ± 0.12(cgs), and ξ = 13 ± 2 km s −1 are provided for V652 Her, and T eff = 22,000 ± 600 K, log g = 3.45 ± 0.15 (cgs), and ξ = 10 km s −1 are provided for HD 144941. In contrast to the non-LTE analyses, the LTE analyses—LTE atmospheres and an LTE line analysis—with the available indicators do not provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters. The principal non-LTE effect on the elemental abundances is on the neon abundance. It is generally considered that these extreme helium stars with their very low C/He ratio result from the merger of two helium white dwarfs. Indeed, the derived composition of V652 Her is in excellent agreement with predictions by Zhang and Jeffery, who model the slow merger of helium white dwarfs; a slow merger results in the merged star having the composition of the accreted white dwarf. In the case of HD 144941, which appears to have evolved from metal-poor stars, a slow merger is incompatible with the observed composition but variations of the merger rate may account for the observed composition. More detailed theoretical studies of the merger of a pair of helium white dwarfs are to be encouraged.

  15. Non-local Thermodynamic Equilibrium Abundance Analyses of the Extreme Helium Stars V652 Her and HD 144941

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandey, Gajendra [Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, 560034 (India); Lambert, David L., E-mail: pandey@iiap.res.in, E-mail: dll@astro.as.utexas.edu [The W.J. McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1083 (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Optical high-resolution spectra of V652 Her and HD 144941, the two extreme helium stars with exceptionally low C/He ratios, have been subjected to a non-LTE abundance analysis using the tools TLUSTY and SYNSPEC. Defining atmospheric parameters were obtained from a grid of non-LTE atmospheres and a variety of spectroscopic indicators including He i and He ii line profiles, and the ionization equilibrium of ion pairs such as C ii/C iii and N ii/N iii. The various indicators provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters: T {sub eff} = 25,000 ± 300 K, log g = 3.10 ± 0.12(cgs), and ξ = 13 ± 2 km s{sup −1} are provided for V652 Her, and T {sub eff} = 22,000 ± 600 K, log g = 3.45 ± 0.15 (cgs), and ξ = 10 km s{sup −1} are provided for HD 144941. In contrast to the non-LTE analyses, the LTE analyses—LTE atmospheres and an LTE line analysis—with the available indicators do not provide a consistent set of atmospheric parameters. The principal non-LTE effect on the elemental abundances is on the neon abundance. It is generally considered that these extreme helium stars with their very low C/He ratio result from the merger of two helium white dwarfs. Indeed, the derived composition of V652 Her is in excellent agreement with predictions by Zhang and Jeffery, who model the slow merger of helium white dwarfs; a slow merger results in the merged star having the composition of the accreted white dwarf. In the case of HD 144941, which appears to have evolved from metal-poor stars, a slow merger is incompatible with the observed composition but variations of the merger rate may account for the observed composition. More detailed theoretical studies of the merger of a pair of helium white dwarfs are to be encouraged.

  16. CCR2-V64I genetic polymorphism: a possible involvement in HER2+ breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banin-Hirata, Bruna Karina; Losi-Guembarovski, Roberta; Oda, Julie Massayo Maeda; de Oliveira, Carlos Eduardo Coral; Campos, Clodoaldo Zago; Mazzuco, Tânia Longo; Borelli, Sueli Donizete; Ceribelli, Jesus Roberto; Watanabe, Maria Angelica Ehara

    2016-05-01

    Many tumor cells express chemokines and chemokine receptors, and these molecules can affect both tumor progression and anti-tumor immune response. Genetic polymorphisms of some chemokine receptors were found to be closely related to malignant tumors, especially in metastasis process, including breast cancer (BC). Considering this, it was investigated a possible role for CCR2-V64I (C-C chemokine receptor 2) and CCR5-Δ32 (C-C chemokine receptor 5) genetic variants in BC context. Patients were divided into subgroups according to immunohistochemical profile of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression. No significant associations were found in relation to susceptibility (CCR2-V64I: OR 1.32; 95 % CI 0.57-3.06; CCR5-∆32: OR 1.04; 95 % CI 0.60-1.81), clinical outcome (tumor size, lymph nodes commitment and/or distant metastasis, TNM staging and nuclear grade) or therapeutic response (recurrence and survival). However, it was found a significant correlation between CCR2-V64I allelic variant and HER2 immunohistochemical positive samples (p = 0.026). All in all, we demonstrate, for the first time, a positive correlation between CCR2 receptor gene polymorphism and a subgroup of BC related to poor prognosis, which deserves further investigation in larger samples for validation.

  17. An improved radiolabelled RNA aptamer molecule for HER2 imaging in cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varmira, Kambiz; Hosseinimehr, Seyed Jalal; Noaparast, Zohreh; Abedi, Seyed Mohammad

    2014-02-01

    Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression has been shown to be increased in several types of human tumours. In this study, for the imaging of HER2-related tumours, a modified RNA aptamer with HER2-specific targeting was labelled with (99m)Tc, by using hydrazino nicotinamide (HYNIC) as the chelator in the presence of tricine or ethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetic acid (EDDA) as the co-ligand. Stability testing of the radiolabelled aptamers in the serum was performed through SDS-PAGE. The aptamer-radionuclide conjugate was evaluated for its cellular HER2-specific binding in ovarian cancer cells (SKOV-3), and its biodistribution properties were assessed in normal and SKOV-3 tumour-bearing mice. In the presence of either tricine or EDDA, the HYNIC-RNA aptamers were labelled with (99m)Tc at a high yield and radiochemical purity. Cellular experiments confirmed the specific binding of the RNA aptamer to the HER2 receptor. In the animal biodistribution study, uptake of the EDDA-co-liganded (99m)Tc-HYNIC-RNA aptamer by the liver and spleen was remarkably lower than that of the aptamer with tricine. Tumours also showed a higher accumulation of radioactivity with the EDDA-co-liganded aptamer complex. This study demonstrated EDDA to be better than tricine for use as a co-ligand with the RNA aptamer, which can be a potential tool for the molecular imaging of HER2-overexpressing cancers.

  18. ICESat-2 laser Nd:YVO4 amplifier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawruk, Nicholas W.; Burns, Patrick M.; Edwards, Ryan E.; Litvinovitch, Viatcheslav; Martin, Nigel; Witt, Greg; Fakhoury, Elias; Iskander, John; Pronko, Mark S.; Troupaki, Elisavet; Bay, Michael M.; He, Charles C.; Wang, Liqin L.; Cavanaugh, John F.; Farrokh, Babak; Salem, Jonathan A.; Baker, Eric

    2018-02-01

    We report on the cause and corrective actions of three amplifier crystal fractures in the space-qualified laser systems used in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). The ICESat-2 lasers each contain three end-pumped Nd:YVOO4 amplifier stages. The crystals are clamped between two gold plated copper heat spreaders with an indium foil thermal interface material, and the crystal fractures occurred after multiple years of storage and over a year of operational run-time. The primary contributors are high compressive loading of the NdYVO4 crystals at the beginning of life, a time dependent crystal stress caused by an intermetallic reaction of the gold plating and indium, and slow crack growth resulting in a reduction in crystal strength over time. An updated crystal mounting scheme was designed, analyzed, fabricated and tested. Thee fracture slab failure analysis, finite-element modeling and corrective actions are presented.

  19. Feasibility Study of EndoTAG-1, a Tumor Endothelial Targeting Agent, in Combination with Paclitaxel followed by FEC as Induction Therapy in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michail Ignatiadis

    Full Text Available EndoTAG-1, a tumor endothelial targeting agent has shown activity in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (BC in combination with paclitaxel.HER2-negative BC patients candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy were scheduled to receive 12 cycles of weekly EndoTAG-1 22mg/m2 plus paclitaxel 70mg/m2 followed by 3 cycles of FEC (Fluorouracil 500mg/m2, Epirubicin 100mg/m2, Cyclophosphamide 500mg/m2 every 3 weeks followed by surgery. Primary endpoint was percent (% reduction in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI estimated Gadolinium (Gd enhancing tumor volume at the end of EndoTAG-1 plus paclitaxel administration as compared to baseline. Safety, pathological complete response (pCR defined as no residual tumor in breast and axillary nodes at surgery and correlation between % reduction in MRI estimated tumor volume and pCR were also evaluated.Fifteen out of 20 scheduled patients were included: Six patients with estrogen receptor (ER-negative/HER2-negative and 9 with ER-positive/HER2-negative BC. Nine patients completed treatment as per protocol. Despite premedication and slow infusion rates, grade 3 hypersensitivity reactions to EndoTAG-1 were observed during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th weekly infusion in 4 patients, respectively, and required permanent discontinuation of the EndoTAG-1. Moreover, two additional patients stopped EndoTAG-1 plus paclitaxel after 8 and 9 weeks due to clinical disease progression. Two patients had grade 3 increases in transaminases and 1 patient grade 4 neutropenia. pCR was achieved in 5 of the 6 ER-/HER2- and in none of the 9 ER+/HER2- BC patients. The mean % reduction in MRI estimated tumor volume at the end of EndoTAG-1 plus paclitaxel treatment was 81% (95% CI, 66% to 96%, p<0.001 for the 15 patients that underwent surgery; 96% for patients with pCR and 73% for patients with no pCR (p = 0.04.The EndoTAG-1 and paclitaxel combination showed promising preliminary activity as preoperative treatment, especially in ER-/HER2

  20. Joyce Clifford the Scholar: In Her Own Words.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulmer, Terry; Gibbons, M Patricia

    2015-01-01

    Dr Joyce H. Clifford was world renowned for her excellence in nursing administration and leadership. The purpose of this article is to examine her complete body of published scholarship and analyze her papers as a method of understanding her intellectual progression as a leader in the discipline, as well as to document how her conceptualization of professional practice and the practice environment advanced nursing practice and patient and family care. Using the qualitative method of narrative inquiry, a systematic analysis of her papers was conducted to describe the evolution of her scholarship and her impact on the discipline and patient care. We reviewed all known existing papers, categorized them into 3 stages, and discuss them here. Using quotes from her work, we have added her voice to the compelling professional practice issues she addressed in her lifetime.

  1. Automated processing of fluorescence in-situ hybridization slides for HER2 testing in breast and gastro-esophageal carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tafe, Laura J; Allen, Samantha F; Steinmetz, Heather B; Dokus, Betty A; Cook, Leanne J; Marotti, Jonathan D; Tsongalis, Gregory J

    2014-08-01

    HER2 fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) is used in breast and gastro-esophageal carcinoma for determining HER2 gene amplification and patients' eligibility for HER2 targeted therapeutics. Traditional manual processing of the FISH slides is labor intensive because of multiple steps that require hands on manipulation of the slides and specifically timed intervals between steps. This highly manual processing also introduces inter-run and inter-operator variability that may affect the quality of the FISH result. Therefore, we sought to incorporate an automated processing instrument into our FISH workflow. Twenty-six cases including breast (20) and gastro-esophageal (6) cancer comprising 23 biopsies and three excision specimens were tested for HER2 FISH (Pathvysion, Abbott) using the Thermobrite Elite (TBE) system (Leica). Up to 12 slides can be run simultaneously. All cases were previously tested by the Pathvysion HER2 FISH assay with manual preparation. Twenty cells were counted by two observers for each case; five cases were tested on three separate runs by different operators to evaluate the precision and inter-operator variability. There was 100% concordance in the scoring between the manual and TBE methods as well as among the five cases that were tested on three runs. Only one case failed due to poor probe hybridization. In total, seven cases were positive for HER2 amplification (HER2:CEP17 ratio >2.2) and the remaining 19 were negative (HER2:CEP17 ratio <1.8) utilizing the 2007 ASCO/CAP scoring criteria. Due to the automated denaturation and hybridization, for each run, there was a reduction in labor of 3.5h which could then be dedicated to other lab functions. The TBE is a walk away pre- and post-hybridization system that automates FISH slide processing, improves work flow and consistency and saves approximately 3.5h of technologist time. The instrument has a small footprint thus occupying minimal counter space. TBE processed slides performed

  2. Regular and low-dose aspirin, other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and prospective risk of HER2-defined breast cancer: the California Teachers Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Christina A; Canchola, Alison J; Moy, Lisa M; Neuhausen, Susan L; Chung, Nadia T; Lacey, James V; Bernstein, Leslie

    2017-05-01

    Regular users of aspirin may have reduced risk of breast cancer. Few studies have addressed whether risk reduction pertains to specific breast cancer subtypes defined jointly by hormone receptor (estrogen and progesterone receptor) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression. This study assessed the prospective risk of breast cancer (overall and by subtype) according to use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) in a cohort of female public school professionals in California. In 1995 - 1996, participants in the California Teachers Study completed a baseline questionnaire on family history of cancer and other conditions, use of NSAIDs, menstrual and reproductive history, self-reported weight and height, living environment, diet, alcohol use, and physical activity. In 2005-2006, 57,164 participants provided some updated information, including use of NSAIDs and 1457 of these participants developed invasive breast cancer before January 2013. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models provided hazard rate ratios (HRR) for the association between NSAID use and risk of invasive breast cancer as well as hormone receptor- and HER2-defined subtypes. Developing breast cancer was associated inversely with taking three or more tablets of low-dose aspirin per week (23% of participants). Among women reporting this exposure, the HRR was 0.84 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.98) compared to those not taking NSAIDs and this was particularly evident in women with the hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative subtype (HRR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.66-0.96). Use of three or more tablets of "other" NSAIDs was marginally associated with lower risk of breast cancer (HRR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.62-1.00). Other associations with NSAIDs were generally null. Our observation of reduced risk of breast cancer, among participants who took three or more tablets of low-dose aspirin weekly, is consistent with other reports looking at

  3. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and chromogenic in situ hybridization: precise methods to detect HER-2 status in breast carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosa, Fabíola E; Silveira, Sara M; Silveira, Cássia GT; Bérgamo, Nádia A; Neto, Francisco A Moraes; Domingues, Maria AC; Soares, Fernando A; Caldeira, José RF; Rogatto, Silvia R

    2009-01-01

    HER-2 gene testing has become an integral part of breast cancer patient diagnosis. The most commonly used assay in the clinical setting for evaluating HER-2 status is immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These procedures permit correlation between HER-2 expression and morphological features. However, FISH signals are labile and fade over time, making post-revision of the tumor difficult. CISH (chromogenic in situ hybridization) is an alternative procedure, with certain advantages, although still limited as a diagnostic tool in breast carcinomas. To elucidate the molecular profile of HER-2 status, mRNA and protein expression in 75 invasive breast carcinomas were analyzed by real time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and IHC, respectively. Amplifications were evaluated in 43 of these cases by CISH and in 11 by FISH. The concordance rate between IHC and qRT-PCR results was 78.9%, and 94.6% for qRT-PCR and CISH. Intratumoral heterogeneity of HER-2 status was identified in three cases by CISH. The results of the three procedures were compared and showed a concordance rate of 83.8%; higher discordances were observed in 0 or 1+ immunostaining cases, which showed high-level amplification (15.4%) and HER-2 transcript overexpression (20%). Moreover, 2+ immunostaining cases presented nonamplified status (50%) by CISH and HER-2 downexpression (38.5%) by qRT-PCR. In general, concordance occurred between qRT-PCR and CISH results. A high concordance was observed between CISH/qRT-PCR and FISH. Comparisons with clinicopathological data revealed a significant association between HER-2 downexpression and the involvement of less than four lymph nodes (P = 0.0350). Based on these findings, qRT-PCR was more precise and reproducible than IHC. Furthermore, CISH was revealed as an alternative and useful procedure for investigating amplifications involving the HER-2 gene

  4. The efficiency and safety of trastuzumab and lapatinib added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Her2-positive breast cancer patients: a randomized meta-analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen ZL

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Zhe-Ling Chen, Yan-Wei Shen, Shu-Ting Li, Chun-Li Li, Ling-Xiao Zhang, Jiao Yang, Meng Lv, Ya-Yun Lin, Xin Wang, Jin Yang Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China Background: The addition of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2 therapies to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC during treatment of Her2-positive breast cancer has been proposed as an effective way to improve the prognosis. However, the treatment outcomes of adding trastuzumab, lapatinib, or both to NAC were not unequivocal in randomized clinical trials. Based on these data, a meta-analysis was performed. Objective: The main objective was to evaluate the efficiency and safety of trastuzumab and lapatinib added to NAC for treatment of Her2-positive breast cancer. Methods: ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were searched for randomized clinical trials that compared trastuzumab, lapatinib, or both, added to NAC. The main endpoint was a pathologically complete response (pCR rate, in breast only or in breast and lymph nodes. The drug safety and the influence of hormone-receptor status, comparing the clinical response and the rate of breast conservation, were evaluated. Results: A total of eight publications were included in the primary analysis, designed as two or three subgroups. The cumulative cases were 2,349 and the analyses of all the clinical trials showed that the pCR rate was significantly higher in the group receiving trastuzumab than that in the group with lapatinib, either in breast only (P=0.001 or in breast and lymph nodes (P=0.0001. Similar results could be seen in comparisons of the combination versus trastuzumab group. Further studies of subgroups divided into hormone receptor-positive or-negative patients showed that the addition of trastuzumab or dual Her2-targeted therapy significantly improved the pCR rate in patients who were hormone-insensitive. Regarding the toxic

  5. The Impact of 2013 Updated ASCO/CAP HER2 Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Invasive Breast Cancer: A Single-Center Study of 1739 Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaofei; Bleiweiss, Ira; Jaffer, Shabnam; Nayak, Anupma

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of revised ASCO/CAP 2013 HER2 guidelines on the clinical practice of pathologists and oncologists. Retrospective analysis of 1739 patients with invasive breast carcinoma who underwent reflex HER2 (fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]) testing, using both 2007 and 2013 guidelines (2007-2014). Using 2013 guidelines, 255 (15%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 13%-16%) cases were classified as HER2 + as opposed to 186 (11%; 95% CI, 9%-12%) by 2007 guidelines (odds ratio [OR] 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.8; P = .0005). Sixty-nine cases equivocal by 2007 guidelines (12% of all equivocal cases) were converted to HER2 + by 2013 guidelines. Sixty-two of these 69 cases shifted from HER2 equivocal to positive due to change in FISH ratio cutoff from 2.2 to 2.0. Six cases had FISH ratio guidelines. No increase in HER2 FISH equivocal cases was observed. Reflex FISH testing of all IHC 1+ cases at our institution additionally detected 58 patients (5%; 95% CI, 4%-6%) with HER2 amplification. The 2013 guidelines increase the detection of HER2 + cases, without introducing significant difference in discordance rate of the IHC and FISH assays. Inclusion of HER2 copy number criterion does not increase the number of FISH equivocal cases in our cohort. We recommend IHC 1+ cases should be offered reflex FISH testing because failure to test them will miss a small number (5%) of potentially treatable cases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. The mannosylated extracellular domain of Her2/neu produced in P. pastoris induces protective antitumor immunity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimitriadis, Alexios; Gontinou, Chrysanthi; Baxevanis, Constantin N; Mamalaki, Avgi

    2009-01-01

    Her2/neu is overexpressed in various human cancers of epithelial origin and is associated with increased metastatic potential and poor prognosis. Several attempts have been made using the extracellular domain of Her2/neu (ECD/Her2) as a prophylactic vaccine in mice with no success in tumor prevention. The extracellular domain of Her2/neu (ECD/Her2) was expressed in yeast P. pastoris, in a soluble highly mannosylated form. The immune response of the immunization with this recombinant ECD/Her2 was analyzed using immunoprecipitation and western blot analysis, proliferation and cytotoxicity assays as well as specific tumor growth assays. Mannosylated ECD/Her2 elicited a humoral response with HER2/neu specific antibodies in vaccinated mice, which were able to reduce the proliferation rate of cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, it elicited a cellular response with Her2/neu-specific CTL capable of lysing tumor cells, in vitro. When immunized Balb/c and HHD mice were challenged with Her2/neu-overexpressing cells, tumor growth was inhibited. Here we report on the efficacy of the extracellular domain of human Her2/neu produced in yeast P. pastoris, which confers mannosylation of the protein, to act as a potent anti-tumor vaccine against Her2/neu overexpressing tumors. Specific cellular and humoral responses were observed as well as efficacy

  7. Virus-like particle display of HER2 induces potent anti-cancer responses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Palladini, Arianna; Thrane, Susan; Janitzek, Christoph M

    2018-01-01

    Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) occurs in 20-30% of invasive breast cancers. Monoclonal antibody therapy is effective in treating HER2-driven mammary carcinomas, but its utility is limited by high costs, side effects and development of resistance. Active vaccinat...

  8. The role of oestrogen receptor {alpha} in human thyroid cancer: contributions from coregulatory proteins and the tyrosine kinase receptor HER2.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Kavanagh, Dara O

    2012-02-01

    Epidemiological, clinical, and molecular studies suggest a role for oestrogen in thyroid cancer. How oestrogen mediates its effects and the consequence of it on clinical outcome has not been fully elucidated. The participation of coregulatory proteins in modulating oestrogen receptor (ER) function and input of crosstalk with the tyrosine kinase receptor HER2 was investigated. Oestrogen induced cell proliferation in the follicular thyroid cancer (FTC)-133 cells, but not in the anaplastic 8305C cell line. Knockdown of the coactivator steroid receptor coactivator (SRC)-1 inhibited FTC-133 basal, but not oestrogen induced, cell proliferation. Oestrogen also increased protein expression of SRC-1 and the ER target gene cyclin D1 in the FTC-133 cell line. ERalpha, ERbeta, the coregulatory proteins SRC-1 and nuclear corepressor (NCoR), and the tyrosine kinase receptor HER2 were localised by immunohistochemistry and immnofluorescence in paraffin-embedded tissue from thyroid tumour patients (n=111). ERalpha was colocalised with both SRC-1 and NCoR to the nuclei of the tumour epithelial cells. Expression of ERalpha and NCoR was found predominantly in non-anaplastic tumours and was significantly associated with well-differentiated tumours and reduced incidence of disease recurrence. In non-anaplastic tumours, HER2 was significantly associated with SRC-1, and these proteins were associated with poorly differentiated tumours, capsular invasion and disease recurrence. Totally, 87% of anaplastic tumours were positive for SRC-1. Kaplan-Meier estimates of disease-free survival indicated that in thyroid cancer, SRC-1 strongly correlates with reduced disease-free survival (P<0.001), whereas NCoR predicted increased survival (P<0.001). These data suggest opposing roles for the coregulators SRC-1 and NCoR in thyroid tumour progression.

  9. Synthesis and Characterization of Anti-HER2 Antibody Conjugated CdSe/CdZnS Quantum Dots for Fluorescence Imaging of Breast Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takashi Jin

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The early detection of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status in breast cancer patients is very important for the effective implementation of anti-HER2 antibody therapy. Recently, HER2 detections using antibody conjugated quantum dots (QDs have attracted much attention. QDs are a new class of fluorescent materials that have superior properties such as high brightness, high resistance to photo-bleaching, and multi-colored emission by a single-light source excitation. In this study, we synthesized three types of anti-HER2 antibody conjugated QDs (HER2Ab-QDs using different coupling agents (EDC/sulfo-NHS, iminothiolane/sulfo-SMCC, and sulfo-SMCC. As water-soluble QDs for the conjugation of antibody, we used glutathione coated CdSe/CdZnS QDs (GSH-QDs with fluorescence quantum yields of 0.23~0.39 in aqueous solution. Dispersibility, hydrodynamic size, and apparent molecular weights of the GSH-QDs and HER2Ab-QDs were characterized by using dynamic light scattering, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, atomic force microscope, and size-exclusion HPLC. Fluorescence imaging of HER2 overexpressing cells (KPL-4 human breast cancer cell line was performed by using HER2Ab-QDs as fluorescent probes. We found that the HER2Ab-QD prepared by using SMCC coupling with partially reduced antibody is a most effective probe for the detection of HER2 expression in KPL-4 cells. We have also studied the size dependency of HER2Ab-QDs (with green, orange, and red emission on the fluorescence image of KPL-4 cells.

  10. Trastuzumab mediates antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and phagocytosis to the same extent in both adjuvant and metastatic HER2/neu breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petricevic, Branka; Laengle, Johannes; Singer, Josef; Sachet, Monika; Fazekas, Judit; Steger, Guenther; Bartsch, Rupert; Jensen-Jarolim, Erika; Bergmann, Michael

    2013-12-12

    Monoclonal antibodies (mAb), such as trastuzumab are a valuable addition to breast cancer therapy. Data obtained from neoadjuvant settings revealed that antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) is a major mechanism of action for the mAb trastuzumab. Conflicting results still call into question whether disease progression, prolonged treatment or concomitant chemotherapy influences ADCC and related immunological phenomena. We analyzed the activity of ADCC and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) positive breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab therapy either in an adjuvant (n = 13) or metastatic (n = 15) setting as well as from trastuzumab treatment-naive (t-naive) HER2/neu negative patients (n = 15). PBMCs from healthy volunteers (n = 24) were used as controls. ADCC and ADCP activity was correlated with the expression of antibody binding Fc-gamma receptor (FcγR)I (CD64), FcγRII (CD32) and FcγRIII (CD16) on CD14+ (monocytes) and CD56+ (NK) cells, as well as the expression of CD107a+ (LAMP-1) on CD56+ cells and the total amount of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ (Treg) cells. In metastatic patients, markers were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS). ADCC activity was significantly down regulated in metastatic, adjuvant and t-naive patient cohorts as compared to healthy controls. Reduced ADCC activity was inversely correlated with the expression of CD107a on CD56+ cells in adjuvant patients. ADCC and ADCP activity of the patient cohorts were similar, regardless of treatment duration or additional chemotherapy. PFS in metastatic patients inversely correlated with the number of peripheral Treg cells. The reduction of ADCC in patients as compared to healthy controls calls for adjuvant strategies, such as immune-enhancing agents, to improve the activity of trastuzumab. However, efficacy of trastuzumab-specific ADCC and ADCP appears not to

  11. Annexin A2 and its downstream IL-6 and HB-EGF as secretory biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of Her-2 negative breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shetty, Praveenkumar; Patil, Vidya S; Mohan, Rajashekar; D'souza, Leonard Clinton; Bargale, Anil; Patil, Basavaraj R; Dinesh, U S; Haridas, Vikram; Kulkarni, Shrirang P

    2017-07-01

    Background AnnexinA2 (AnxA2) membrane deposition has a critical role in HB-EGF shedding as well as IL-6 secretion in breast cancer cells. This autocrine cycle has a major role in cancer cell proliferation, migration and metastasis. The objective of the study is to demonstrate annexinA2-mediated autocrine regulation via HB-EGF and IL-6 in Her-2 negative breast cancer progression. Methods Secretory annexinA2, HB-EGF and IL-6 were analysed in the peripheral blood sample of Her-2 negative ( n = 20) and positive breast cancer patients ( n = 16). Simultaneously, tissue expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry. The membrane deposition of these secretory ligands and their autocrine regulation was demonstrated using triple-negative breast cancer cell line model. Results Annexina2 and HB-EGF expression are inversely correlated with Her-2, whereas IL-6 expression is seen in both Her-2 negative and positive breast cancer cells. RNA interference studies and upregulation of annexinA2 proved that annexinA2 is the upstream of this autocrine pathway. Abundant soluble serum annexinA2 is secreted in Her-2 negative breast cancer (359.28 ± 63.73 ng/mL) compared with normal (286.10 ± 70.04 ng/mL, P breast cancer phenotypes as compared with normal ( P breast cancer tissues, increased secretion compared with normal cells, and their major role in the regulation of EGFR downstream signalling makes these molecules as a potential tissue and serum biomarker and an excellent therapeutic target in Her-2 negative breast cancer.

  12. Clinical Significance of HER-2 Splice Variants in Breast Cancer Progression and Drug Resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire Jackson

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2 occurs in 20–30% of breast cancers and confers survival and proliferative advantages on the tumour cells making HER-2 an ideal therapeutic target for drugs like Herceptin. Continued delineation of tumour biology has identified splice variants of HER-2, with contrasting roles in tumour cell biology. For example, the splice variant 16HER-2 (results from exon 16 skipping increases transformation of cancer cells and is associated with treatment resistance; conversely, Herstatin (results from intron 8 retention and p100 (results from intron 15 retention inhibit tumour cell proliferation. This review focuses on the potential clinical implications of the expression and coexistence of HER-2 splice variants in cancer cells in relation to breast cancer progression and drug resistance. “Individualised” strategies currently guide breast cancer management; in accordance, HER-2 splice variants may prove valuable as future prognostic and predictive factors, as well as potential therapeutic targets.

  13. Suppressors for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2/4 (HER2/4): A New Family of Anti-Toxoplasmic Agents in ARPE-19 Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yeong Hoon; Bhatt, Lokraj; Ahn, Hye-Jin; Yang, Zhaoshou; Lee, Won-Kyu; Nam, Ho-Woo

    2017-10-01

    The effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were evaluated on growth inhibition of intracellular Toxoplasma gondii in host ARPE-19 cells. The number of tachyzoites per parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM) was counted after treatment with TKIs. T. gondii protein expression was assessed by western blot. Immunofluorescence assay was performed using Programmed Cell Death 4 (PDCD4) and T. gondii GRA3 antibodies. The TKIs were divided into 3 groups; non-epidermal growth factor receptor (non-EGFR), anti-human EGFR 2 (anti-HER2), and anti-HER2/4 TKIs, respectively. Group I TKIs (nintedanib, AZD9291, and sunitinib) were unable to inhibit proliferation without destroying host cells. Group II TKIs (lapatinib, gefitinib, erlotinib, and AG1478) inhibited proliferation up to 98% equivalent to control pyrimethamine (5 μM) at 20 μM and higher, without affecting host cells. Group III TKIs (neratinib, dacomitinib, afatinib, and pelitinib) inhibited proliferation up to 98% equivalent to pyrimethamine at 1-5 μM, but host cells were destroyed at 10-20 μM. In Group I, TgHSP90 and SAG1 inhibitions were weak, and GRA3 expression was moderately inhibited. In Group II, TgHSP90 and SAG1 expressions seemed to be slightly enhanced, while GRA3 showed none to mild inhibition; however, AG1478 inhibited all proteins moderately. Protein expression was blocked in Group III, comparable to pyrimethamine. PDCD4 and GRA3 were well localized inside the nuclei in Group I, mildly disrupted in Group II, and were completely disrupted in Group III. This study suggests the possibility of a vital T. gondii TK having potential HER2/4 properties, thus anti-HER2/4 TKIs may inhibit intracellular parasite proliferation with minimal adverse effects on host cells.

  14. 64Cu-DOTA-Trastuzumab PET Imaging in Women with HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-01

    and 1, 3, and 6 mo later, when possible, were eval- uated for immune responses using a size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography shift...3 4 HER2 IHC31 2 5 7 IHC21/FISH positive 1 1 Sites of metastatic disease Bone 2 4 6 Lymph nodes 2 5 7 Liver 2 2 4 Lung 1 1 2 Pleural effusion 1 1...jnm122630-pm n 10/28/13 complexes were observed in the high-performance liquid chroma- tography shift assays of 2 patients at baseline and 6 mo or

  15. Hypercalcemia and huge splenomegaly presenting in an elderly patient with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tirgari Farrokh

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Hypercalcemia is the major electrolyte abnormality in patients with malignant tumors. It can be due to localized osteolytic hypercalcemia or elaboration of humoral substances such as parathyroid hormone-related protein from tumoral cells. In hematological malignancies, a third mechanism of uncontrolled synthesis and secretion of 1-25(OH2D3 from tumoral cells or neighboring macrophages may contribute to the problem. However, hypercalcemia is quite unusual in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Case presentation An 85-year-old Caucasian woman presented with low grade fever, anorexia, abdominal discomfort and fullness in her left abdomen for the last six months. She was mildly anemic and complained of fatigability. She had huge splenomegaly and was hypercalcemic. After correction of her hypercalcemia, she had a splenectomy. Microscopic evaluation revealed a malignant lymphoma. Her immunohistochemistry was positive for leukocyte common antigen, CD20 and parathyroid hormone-related peptide. Conclusion Immunopositivity for parathyroid hormone-related peptide clearly demonstrates that hypersecretion of a parathyroid hormone-like substance from the tumor had led to hypercalcemia in this case. High serum calcium is seen in only seven to eight percent of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, apparently due to different mechanisms. Evaluation of serum parathyroid hormone-related protein and 1-25(OH2D3 can be helpful in diagnosis and management. It should be noted that presentation with hypercalcemia has a serious impact on prognosis and survival.

  16. Neratinib Approved for HER2+ Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    The FDA approved the tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib for extended adjuvant treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. The decision adds another treatment option to help prevent recurrence, but its relatively small potential benefit must be weighed against the risk of serious side effects. ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  17. Sarcosine induces increase in HER2/neu expression in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahl, Malin; Bouchelouche, Pierre; Kramer-Marek, Gabriela

    2011-01-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) is involved in progression of prostate cancer. Recently, sarcosine was reported to be highly increased during prostate cancer progression, and exogenous sarcosine induces an invasive phenotype in benign prostate...... epithelial cells. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of sarcosine on HER2/neu expression in prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP (androgen dependent), PC-3 and DU145 (both androgen independent). Relative amounts of HER2/neu and androgen receptor (AR) transcripts were determined using RT...... that sarcosine is involved in the regulation of the oncoprotein HER2/neu. Thus, sarcosine may induce prostate cancer progression by increased HER2/neu expression. However, detailed information on cellular mechanisms remains to be elucidated....

  18. Small Molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors of ErbB2/HER2/Neu in the Treatment of Aggressive Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard L. Schroeder

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 is a member of the erbB class of tyrosine kinase receptors. These proteins are normally expressed at the surface of healthy cells and play critical roles in the signal transduction cascade in a myriad of biochemical pathways responsible for cell growth and differentiation. However, it is widely known that amplification and subsequent overexpression of the HER2 encoding oncogene results in unregulated cell proliferation in an aggressive form of breast cancer known as HER2-positive breast cancer. Existing therapies such as trastuzumab (Herceptin® and lapatinib (Tyverb/Tykerb®, a monoclonal antibody inhibitor and a dual EGFR/HER2 kinase inhibitor, respectively, are currently used in the treatment of HER2-positive cancers, although issues with high recurrence and acquired resistance still remain. Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors provide attractive therapeutic targets, as they are able to block cell signaling associated with many of the proposed mechanisms for HER2 resistance. In this regard we aim to present a review on the available HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as well as those currently in development. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors as sequential or combinatorial therapeutic strategies with other HER family inhibitors is also discussed.

  19. tabAnti-HER2 (erbB-2) oncogene effects of phenolic compounds directly isolated from commercial Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menendez, Javier A; Vazquez-Martin, Alejandro; Garcia-Villalba, Rocio; Carrasco-Pancorbo, Alegria; Oliveras-Ferraros, Cristina; Fernandez-Gutierrez, Alberto; Segura-Carretero, Antonio

    2008-01-01

    The effects of the olive oil-rich Mediterranean diet on breast cancer risk might be underestimated when HER2 (ERBB2) oncogene-positive and HER2-negative breast carcinomas are considered together. We here investigated the anti-HER2 effects of phenolic fractions directly extracted from Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in cultured human breast cancer cell lines. Solid phase extraction followed by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to isolate phenolic fractions from commercial EVOO. Analytical capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry was performed to check for the composition and to confirm the identity of the isolated fractions. EVOO polyphenolic fractions were tested on their tumoricidal ability against HER2-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer in vitro models using MTT, crystal violet staining, and Cell Death ELISA assays. The effects of EVOO polyphenolic fractions on the expression and activation status of HER2 oncoprotein were evaluated using HER2-specific ELISAs and immunoblotting procedures, respectively. Among the fractions mainly containing the single phenols hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, the polyphenol acid elenolic acid, the lignans (+)-pinoresinol and 1-(+)-acetoxypinoresinol, and the secoiridoids deacetoxy oleuropein aglycone, ligstroside aglycone, and oleuropein aglycone, all the major EVOO polyphenols (i.e. secoiridoids and lignans) were found to induce strong tumoricidal effects within a micromolar range by selectively triggering high levels of apoptotic cell death in HER2-overexpressors. Small interfering RNA-induced depletion of HER2 protein and lapatinib-induced blockade of HER2 tyrosine kinase activity both significantly prevented EVOO polyphenols-induced cytotoxicity. EVOO polyphenols drastically depleted HER2 protein and reduced HER2 tyrosine autophosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. EVOO polyphenols-induced HER2 downregulation occurred regardless the molecular mechanism

  20. tabAnti-HER2 (erbB-2 oncogene effects of phenolic compounds directly isolated from commercial Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carrasco-Pancorbo Alegria

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The effects of the olive oil-rich Mediterranean diet on breast cancer risk might be underestimated when HER2 (ERBB2 oncogene-positive and HER2-negative breast carcinomas are considered together. We here investigated the anti-HER2 effects of phenolic fractions directly extracted from Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO in cultured human breast cancer cell lines. Methods Solid phase extraction followed by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC was used to isolate phenolic fractions from commercial EVOO. Analytical capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry was performed to check for the composition and to confirm the identity of the isolated fractions. EVOO polyphenolic fractions were tested on their tumoricidal ability against HER2-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer in vitro models using MTT, crystal violet staining, and Cell Death ELISA assays. The effects of EVOO polyphenolic fractions on the expression and activation status of HER2 oncoprotein were evaluated using HER2-specific ELISAs and immunoblotting procedures, respectively. Results Among the fractions mainly containing the single phenols hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, the polyphenol acid elenolic acid, the lignans (+-pinoresinol and 1-(+-acetoxypinoresinol, and the secoiridoids deacetoxy oleuropein aglycone, ligstroside aglycone, and oleuropein aglycone, all the major EVOO polyphenols (i.e. secoiridoids and lignans were found to induce strong tumoricidal effects within a micromolar range by selectively triggering high levels of apoptotic cell death in HER2-overexpressors. Small interfering RNA-induced depletion of HER2 protein and lapatinib-induced blockade of HER2 tyrosine kinase activity both significantly prevented EVOO polyphenols-induced cytotoxicity. EVOO polyphenols drastically depleted HER2 protein and reduced HER2 tyrosine autophosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. EVOO polyphenols-induced HER2 downregulation