1. Implementation of HER2 Testing in Endometrial Cancer, a Summary of Real-World Initial Experience in a Large Tertiary Cancer Center.
- Author
-
Plotkin, Anna, Olkhov-Mitsel, Ekaterina, Huang, Weei-Yuarn, and Nofech-Mozes, Sharon
- Subjects
CANCER treatment ,PREDICTIVE tests ,HUMAN services programs ,CANCER relapse ,ACADEMIC medical centers ,DISEASE management ,TERTIARY care ,TUMOR markers ,DECISION making in clinical medicine ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,ENDOMETRIAL tumors ,IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY ,FEMALE reproductive organ tumors ,GENE expression ,ONCOGENES ,PATHOLOGICAL laboratories ,FLUORESCENCE in situ hybridization ,WOMEN'S health ,TREATMENT effect heterogeneity ,COLLECTION & preservation of biological specimens ,MEDICAL laboratories ,QUALITY assurance ,GENETIC testing ,SPECIALTY hospitals ,SENSITIVITY & specificity (Statistics) - Abstract
Simple Summary: In this study, scientists investigated how pathologists test for a protein called HER2 in a type of cancer called endometrial cancer (EC). They checked samples from 180 patients tested over the first two years following approval of the test in the clinic. They found that 28% of the samples had HER2 overexpression, which makes them eligible for HER2-targeted therapies. They also noticed that in some cases, the test results were different depending on the method used. This study shows that there are challenges in testing for HER2 in endometrial cancer and suggests that we need standardized guidelines to help doctors make better decisions about endometrial cancer treatment. HER2-targeted therapies have transformed the management of advanced or recurrent serous endometrial cancer (EC), leading to an increased clinical demand for HER2 testing. Despite its adoption in select academic centers, the global extent of such tumor testing is unclear. In this study, we report on the initial two-year experience of HER2 testing at a major academic center with a reference gynecologic oncology service and biomarker reference laboratory. All patients who underwent HER2 testing based on physician discretion, reflex HER2 testing, and reference laboratory requests were included. From February 2021 to October 2023, HER2 testing was performed on 192 tumor tissue samples from 180 EC patients. Serous carcinoma constituted 52% of samples, reflecting diagnostic challenges and limited therapeutic options for advanced EC. HER2 positivity was found in 28% of all cases and 30% of p53-aberrant cases. An immunohistochemistry (IHC) score of 3+ was found in 15% of samples, while IHC 2+ was found in 45% (13% IHC 2+/ISH+ and 32% IHC 2+/ISH−). The newly identified 'HER2-low' category comprised 46% of the samples. Heterogeneity was noted in 42% of HER2-positive cases, with complex patterns in 3%. NGS and HER2 IHC-FISH showed a 24% discordance, attributed to intratumoral heterogeneity, tumor cellularity, a small number of amplified cells, and the HER2/CEP17 ratio near the cut-off. This study offers real-world insights into HER2 testing in EC, highlighting the challenges and underscoring the need for standardized guidelines in specimen handling, proficiency testing, and scoring criteria to enhance patient management and therapeutic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF