A Beginners Guide to HER2 Breast Cancer from Start to Finish
Breast cancer is a complex disease with different subtypes, and HER2-positive breast cancer is one of them. This type of breast cancer is caused by mutations in the HER2 gene, leading to overexpression of the HER2 protein. As a result, these types of breast cancers grow and spread rapidly. However, with the development of HER2-targeted agents, HER2-positive breast cancer has become a treatable disease. One of the main treatments for HER2-positive breast cancer is the antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin®). While the majority of patients diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer have a high percentage of surviving at 5 years, the concern for patients is that it can come back or recur.
To address this concern, several new drugs have been developed in this space. For example, neratinib (Nerlynx®) was approved in 2017 for extended adjuvant treatment of adults with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer following Herceptin®-based therapy. Moreover, extensive research continues to refine and improve existing HER2-targeted therapies, explore ways to prevent recurrence, and devise new ways to target the sensitive HER2 protein. As a clinician investigator, I am still looking for ways to improve survival outcomes and treatments for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Our cancer center is currently in the process of opening multiple different trials in this space. With these promising developments, we hope to see a potential cure for HER2-positive breast cancer in the near future.
This blog is part of a blog series made possible with support from Puma Biotechnology. For more education within this series see here and here.
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