Approximately 15% of women with breast cancer have a variant called HER2-positive. It is a very aggressive form if not treated with special medications with cytostatics and chemotherapy.
In order to determine whether a patient has HER2-positive breast cancer, a larger sample of the tumor is currently required, called a biopsy. It is followed up with microscopic examinations and sometimes special DNA tests.
Now a study from Uppsala University and Akademiska sjukhuset has shown that another method of diagnosis gives faster and safer answers than a traditional biopsy.
The method involves the patient receiving a small dose of small proteins, called aposomes, which are loaded with radioactive material. The patient is then scanned using PET or SPECT cameras* that pick up radioactivity.
– This method is faster and provides a more accurate diagnosis of HER2-positive aggressive breast cancer. The examination is also easier for the patient and has the advantage that the entire body is examined at the same time, says chief physician and researcher Henrik Lindemann.
One SPECT camera. It is another imaging technique to discover and gain more knowledge about diseases in the body.
Researchers have previously shown on a smaller scale that this method could replace the biopsy method. This has now been confirmed in a larger study of 40 patients.
Unexpectedly, we found that the HER2-PET method and the biopsy method showed different results in a significant proportion of patients. The question we then asked ourselves was which method could more reliably determine whether a patient would benefit from specific anti-HER2 therapy, and the results suggested that HER2-PET was better than the previously used biopsy method, says Henrik Lindemann.
He hopes that PET cameras for diagnosing the aggressive form of breast cancer will soon become routine in healthcare.
– The new method also means convenience for the patient and advantages for doctors, so we hope that HER2-PET will soon be used in clinical routine, says Henrik Lindemann.
HER2 positive breast cancer
HER2 stands for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It is a protein that can be found in large quantities on the surface of cancer cells. This causes cancer cells to divide more often and the tumor to grow faster.
If the disease is detected at an early stage, the prognosis is often very good. It is partly associated with treatment with antibodies against HER2, which resulted in significantly increased survival.
Treatment mainly consists of surgery, cytostatics, radiotherapy, anti-HER2 therapy, hormonal therapy for those with hormone-sensitive HER2-positive breast cancer and bone-strengthening medications.
Scientific study:
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 – targeting [68Ga]Ga-ABY-025 PET/CT predicts early metabolic response in metastatic breast cancer, Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
communication:
Henrik Lindman, Chief Physician and Associate Professor of Oncology and Head of Hematology and Oncology Operations, Akademiska sjukhuset/Uppsala University, [email protected]
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