HER-2 status of circulating tumor cells in a metastatic breast cancer cohort: A comparative study on characterization techniques.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Personalized targeted treatment in metastatic breast cancer relies on accurate assessment of molecular aberrations, e.g. overexpression of Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER-2). Molecular interrogation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can provide an attractive alternative for real-time biomarker assessment. However, implementation of CellSearch-based HER-2 analysis has been limited. Immunofluorescent (IF) image interpretation is crucial, as different HER-2 categories have been described. Major questions in CTC research are how these IF categories reflect gene expression and amplification, and if we should consider 'medium' HER-2 expressing CTCs for patient selection. METHODS:Tumor cells from spiked cell lines (n = 8) and CTCs (n = 116 samples) of 85 metastatic breast

SUBMITTER: Brouwer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6726188 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature