The Expanding Role of HER-2 Testing

HER-2 status can be a powerful tool, along with existing clinical and pathologic information, to assist in predicting prognosis and disease free progression. Accurate assessment of HER-2 status can be important in selecting appropriate therapy, including Herceptin^® therapy.

Herceptin® (trastuzumab) is now approved in the adjuvant setting to treat early-stage HER-2-positive breast cancer, and is approved as both a first-line therapy in combination with chemotherapy and as a single agent in second- and third-line therapy.

The risks of incorrect HER-2 status assessment can be significant: false positive assessments may lead to inappropriate medical decisions, causing a patient to undergo unnecessary therapy. Conversely, a false negative assessment may deprive a patient of potentially beneficial therapy.