Identifying actionable biomarkers may transform cancer care and improve patient outcomes1,2
- HER2+ cancer is characterized by the overexpression of the HER2 protein, a tyrosine kinase
receptor growth-promoting protein expressed on the surface of various tissue cells3,4
- Various HER2+ cancer may be associated with a more aggressive tumor, poor prognosis, and shorter
survival upon diagnosis3-6
- Historically, the focus of HER2 biomarker testing and targeted treatments has been in breast and gastric cancer,7,8 but NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) have increasingly recommended HER2 testing in multiple solid tumors, outside of just breast and gastric9-18
- With a rise in treatments for HER2+ in many solid tumors, integrating routine, actionable HER2 screening across tumor-types may be pivotal in improving patient outcomes1,19
Take action with a HER2+ toolkit.
Leveraging EHRs may help health organizations triage patients for further evaluation20
There is a cost to delaying or missing a HER2+ diagnosis
Patients with missed HER2+ diagnoses have a loss of quality-adjusted life-years
and face a higher risk of disease recurrence.21
In one study, the loss of quality-adjusted life-years in patients due to missed HER2+ diagnoses
led to an estimated $1 billion economic societal loss.21
Biomarker-driven, personalized medicine has been found to generate cost savings for healthcare
organizations by decreasing costs associated with drug waste, hospital resource utilization, and
side-effect management.22
HER2=human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; NCCN=National Comprehensive Cancer Network; EHR=electronic health record.
References: 1. Moore DC, Guinigundo AS. The role of biomarkers in guiding clinical decision-making in oncology. J Adv Pract Oncol. 2023;14(Suppl 1):15-37. 2. Albagoush SA, Zubair M, Limaiem F. Tissue Evaluation for HER2 Tumor Marker. StatPearls. 2024. 3. Iqbal N, Iqbal N. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in cancers: Overexpression and therapeutic implications. Mol Biol Int. 2014;2014(1):852748. 4. Gutierrez C, Schiff R. HER2: Biology, detection, and clinical implications. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2011;135(1):55-62. 5. English DP, Roque DM, Santin AD. HER2 expression beyond breast cancer: Therapeutic implications for gynecologic malignancies. Mol Diagn Ther. 2013;17:85-99. 6. Nakamura H, Kawasaki N, Taguchi M, Kabasawa K. Association of HER‐2 overexpression with prognosis in nonsmall cell lung carcinoma: A metaanalysis. Cancer. 2005;103(9):1865-1873. 7. Wolff AC, Hammond MEH, Allison KH, et al. Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 testing in breast cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists Clinical Practice guideline focused update. J Clin Oncol.
2018;36(20):2105-2122. 8. Bartley AN, Washington MK, Colasacco C, et al. HER2 testing and clinical decision making in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: Guideline from the College of American Pathologists, American Society
for Clinical Pathology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35(4):446-464. 9. Benson AB III, D’Angelica MI, Abrams T, et al. NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Biliary Tract Cancers, Version 2.2023. J Natl
Compr Canc Netw. 2023;21(7):694-704. 10. Bladder Cancer. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). Version 4.2024. 11. Cervical Cancer. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN
Guidelines®). Version 3.2024. 12. Uterine Neoplasms. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). Version 2.2024. 13. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN
Guidelines®). Version 2.2024. 14. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). Version 5.2024. 15. Ovarian Cancer (including Fallopian Tube Cancer and Primary Peritoneal
Cancer). NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). Version 2.2024. 16. Benson AB III, Venook AP, Al-Hawary MM, et al. Colon Cancer, Version 2.2021, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.J
Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2021;19(3):329-359. 17. Head and Neck Cancers. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). Version 4.2024. 18. Vaginal Cancer. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology
(NCCN Guidelines®). Version 2.2025. 19. Zhu K, Yang X, Tai H, Zhong X, Luo T, Zheng H. HER2-targeted therapies in cancer: A systematic review. Biomark Res. 2024;12(1):16. 20. Ben-Assuli O, Sagi D, Leshno M, Ironi A, Ziv A. Improving diagnostic accuracy using EHR in emergency departments: a simulation-based study. J Biomed Inform. 2015;55:31-40. 21. Garrison LP Jr, Babigumira JB, Masaquel A, Wang BCM, Lalla D, Brammer M. 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. Value Health. 2015;18(4):541-546. 22. Heinemann V, Douillard JY, Ducreux M, Peeters M. Targeted therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer–an example of personalised medicine in action. Cancer Treat Rev. 2013;39(6):592-601.
