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11.07.2017 | Onkologie | Online-Artikel

Established targeted agents taking root in the HER2-positive setting

HER2 aberrations in lung cancer are being increasingly identified due to the use of sensitive testing procedures, such as multiplexed testing and next-generation sequencing. Mutations of the HER2 gene need to be distinguished from HER2 amplifications and HER2 protein overexpression. In contrast to breast and gastric cancer, HER2 overexpression in NSCLC does not always occur with HER2 amplification, while amplifications and HER2 mutations are generally mutually exclusive [1]. As the various types of aberrations represent distinct molecular targets, tumours need to be precisely characterised at the molecular level prior to treatment decisions. To date, however, there is no approved treatment for patients with HER2-positive NSCLC.