Quantitative HER2 profiling on circulating tumor cells using an EpCAM-independent platform in metastatic breast cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Accurate human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) assessment is critical for guiding breast cancer (BC) treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which detach from the primary or secondary tumors and circulate through the bloodstream, can colonize distant sites to form metastases. Previous studies have demonstrated the clinical validity of CTCs as prognostic biomarkers in metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Liquid biopsy testing offers a non-invasive alternative for real-time evaluation of HER2 expression on CTCs, overcoming limitations of repeated histological sampling.

Methods

This study employed a pipeline combining EpCAM-independent enrichment with Parsortix^® and immunofluorescence (IF)-based HER2 characterization to assess HER2 expression in patient-der

SUBMITTER: Bayou N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12729166 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature