HER2 Gene News and Research

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The HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) gene is part of a family of genes that play roles in regulating cell growth. The protein it makes is a tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor that a number of normal tissues express and which probably has a role in normal cell function, regulating growth and proliferation.

New identified biomarker predicts patients who might benefit from HER2-targeted agents

In an effort to further individualize therapy and avoid over-treating patients, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report a new study using PET scans has identified a biomarker that may accurately predict which patients with one type of HER2-positive breast cancer might best benefit from standalone HER2-targeted agents, without the need for standard chemotherapy.

22 Feb 2019

New anti-HER2 drug shows promising anti-tumor activity in gullet, stomach and bowel cancers

An antibody that binds simultaneously to two distinct regions of the HER2 receptor to block the growth of cancer cells has shown promising signs of anti-tumor activity in a number of cancers including those of the gullet (esophagus), stomach and bowel.

14 Nov 2018

New study shows promise of innovative strategy against HER2-driven lung cancers

The HER2 gene is a well-known driver of breast cancer, where changes in this gene are found in about 1-in-5 cases of the disease. HER2 also contributes to about 3 percent of lung cancers, representing about 6,500 patients per year.

8 Nov 2018

Researchers reveal massive genome havoc in breast cancer

In cancer cells, genetic errors wreak havoc. Misspelled genes, as well as structural variations -- larger-scale rearrangements of DNA that can encompass large chunks of chromosomes -- disturb carefully balanced mechanisms that have evolved to regulate cell growth.

13 Jul 2018

Adjuvant AC chemotherapy found to be effective in treating HRD-positive breast cancer patients

People with tough-to-treat triple negative breast cancer, whose tumors also don't allow for double-strand DNA repair, fare better when treated with a common adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy combination, according to results from a SWOG clinical trial.

20 Mar 2018

Macrophages play major role in helping early breast cancer cells spread even before tumor develops

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that normal immune cells called macrophages, which reside in healthy breast tissue surrounding milk ducts, play a major role in helping early breast cancer cells leave the breast for other parts of the body, potentially creating metastasis before a tumor has even developed, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

2 Jan 2018

FDA grants approval to first biosimilar for treatment of patients with breast, stomach cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ogivri (trastuzumab-dkst) as a biosimilar to Herceptin (trastuzumab) for the treatment of patients with breast or metastatic stomach cancer (gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma) whose tumors overexpress the HER2 gene (HER2+).

4 Dec 2017

New NIST Standard Reference Material helps ensure accurate measurements of HER2 breast cancer gene

A new measurement standard developed by the National Institute of Standards of Technology has been used successfully by the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research to check the performance of next-generation DNA-sequencing technologies for evaluating gene variations associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

18 Aug 2016

Researchers uncover one way breast cancer tumors resist vital medication

A team of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine cancer researchers has uncovered one way certain tumors resist vital medication.

11 Aug 2016

Updated guidelines for breast cancer increase number of patients who test HER2-positive

Changes to HER2 testing guidelines for breast cancer in 2013 significantly increased the number of patients who test HER2-positive, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic researchers published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

28 Jul 2016

Personlized exercise pattern may help reduce neuropathic symptoms of chemotherapy

Researchers at the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Institute discovered something simple and inexpensive to reduce neuropathy in hands and feet due to chemotherapy--exercise.

6 Jun 2016

Mutation or amplification of HER2 gene may lead to lung cancer

A joint study by University of Colorado Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology shows two distinct causes of HER2 activation in lung cancer: mutation of the gene and amplification of the gene.

29 Jan 2016

Study shows rare HER2 missense mutations do not spread breast cancer on their own

Results of a new laboratory study by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers suggests that some rare “missense” mutations in the HER2 gene are apparently not — on their own — capable of causing breast cancer growth or spread.

12 Nov 2015

Drugs that target malignant cells increase life expectancy in advanced breast cancer patients

Clinical studies show that new drugs that target malignant cells of HER2-positive breast cancer, such as Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1), increase life expectancy in patients with advanced breast cancer.

5 Nov 2015

Investigational anti-cancer agent ONT-380 shows activity against HER2+ breast cancer

Promising clinical trial results presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2015 show activity of the investigational anti-cancer agent ONT-380 against HER2+ breast cancer, in one case specifically against brain metastases and in another case in overall survival of heavily pretreated HER2+ breast cancer patients.

1 Jun 2015

Alternative generic strategy for breast cancer treatment

Maxing out the inherently stressed nature of treatment-resistant breast cancer cells thwarts their adaptive ability to evolve genetic workarounds to treatment, a new study suggests.

27 May 2015

Researchers identify molecular switch for protein that causes HER2-positive breast cancer

Herceptin has been touted as a wonder drug for women with HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that is fueled by excess production of the HER2 protein. However, not all of these patients respond to the drug, and many who do respond eventually acquire resistance.

28 Apr 2015

Researchers offer critical new information about head and neck squamous cell cancer

Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) ranks among the top ten most prevalent cancers in the United States. Despite its prevalence, little is known about how this cancer develops and spreads. However, in a paper published in the January 29, 2015 edition of Nature, researchers offer critical new information about head and neck cancers.

4 Feb 2015

Trastuzumab drug improves long-term survival of patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer

VCU Massey Cancer Center physician-researcher Charles E. Geyer, Jr., M.D., was the National Protocol Officer for one component of a large national study involving two National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials that demonstrated that trastuzumab significantly improves the long-term survival of HER-2 positive breast cancer patients.

16 Dec 2014

TCGA Research Network identify new potential therapeutic targets for major form of bladder cancer

Investigators with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network have identified new potential therapeutic targets for a major form of bladder cancer, including important genes and pathways that are disrupted in the disease.

30 Jan 2014