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Focus on HER3 testing

Slide Deck

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HER3 expression in ovarian cancer cells

These samples of epithelial ovarian carcinoma have been immunostained with a HER3-specific antibody. Both samples display strong staining for HER3.² Tanner B, Hasenclever D, Stern K, et al. ErbB-3 predicts survival in ovarian cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24:4317-4323. Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Methods of HER3 testing have not been standardized

Unlike HER1/EGFR and HER2, HER3 status is not routinely analyzed in clinical practice. Therefore, there is no standardized method by which HER3 status is assessed. Methods that have been used in clinical trials include:

Immunohistochemistry (IHC), which measures levels of receptor expression on the cell surface using a receptor-specific antibody²
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which measures the number of copies of the HER3 gene⁸
Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which measures HER3 status by messenger RNA levels⁹

As HER3 continues to be investigated in cancer, standardized methods of assessing HER3 status may need to be developed.

Next Section: HER3 as a prognostic factor

References

Research HER Pathways

HER3