Oncology FISH probe

Question 1

How many cases and deaths of breast cancer in UK?

Answer 1

50,000 cases
11,000 deaths

Question 2

How many cases will develop to metastatic cancer?

Answer 2

55%

Question 3

How many metastatic cancer overexpress HER2?

Answer 3

15-20%

Question 4

Describe HER2

Answer 4

Located on 17q
Encodes a transmembrane tyrosine reecptor kinase
Invovled in transduction of growth/proliferation signals

Question 5

Where is HER2 amplification also seen?

Answer 5

also observed in other cancers such as ovarian, stomach, pancreas, bladder and lung cancer.

Question 6

Describe Herceptin

Answer 6

Herceptin (Trastuzumab): Monoclonal antibody (FDA and NICE) shows good response in patients with “HER2 positive tumours”

Herceptin binds to Her2 to block interaction of this receptor with the growth factor, to limit tumour development

Question 7

What has recently been discovered about Herceptin

Answer 7

Monoclonal antibody has been conjugated to chemotherapy drugs, so that these highly potent chemicals can be more specifically targeted to tumours – thereby reducing the off target interactions of the drug – which helps to reduce the terrible side effects of chemotherapy.

Question 8

What does Herceptin treatment not do?

Answer 8

Treatment with Herceptin is not curative, but it does help to slow down the rate disease progression and metastasis to provide patients with extended life expectancy.

Question 9

What is the goal for diagnosing HER2 breast cancer?

Answer 9

However, to qualify for this treatment the HER2 gene must be amplified above a certain threshold. This forms the cornerstone of diagnostics for this type of tumour. The goal is to identify patients who are expected to respond to herceptin based on the amplification status of the HER2 gene.