Impact of liquid biopsy in advanced HER2+ breast cancer tumors: a follow-up study

HER2-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer caused by over-expression of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). While this aggressive breast cancer is highly curable, with 10 year survival rates at an average of >70%, it is also highly prevalent – with this gene mutation being detected in 1 out of every 5 breast cancer cases. In addition to chemotherapy, there are multiple targeted therapies approved for treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. However, HER2+ breast cancer also has a high recurrence rate, increasing the chances of the cancer metastasizing.

 

In today's presentation, Dr. Allegretti will discuss his clinical research work on HER2+ metastatic breast cancer samples using liquid biopsy (LB) analysis. This study aims to determine feasibility of profiling and tracking over time the molecular behavior of advanced HER2+ breast cancer tumors during drug treatments. Analysis is conducted using two different LB techniques - next-generation sequencing (NGS) and digital PCR (dPCR). Results strongly encourage the integration of LB analysis with genomic assessment from tumor tissues. Together, these complementary techniques may be able to provide compelling evidence to uncover resistance/response mechanisms in the future, potentially yielding valuable clinical information for better cancer management strategies.

 

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