title: Characterization of HER2 status by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).
abstract: The use of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) gene amplification and overexpression as a molecular predictive marker has become critically important for proper selection of breast cancer patients for treatment with targeted therapeutic agents such as trastuzumab, lapatinib, pertuzumab, and T-DM1. A high level of sensitivity and specificity of molecular tests for this alteration is desirable. The American Society of Clinical Oncology and College of American Pathology have jointly established consensus guidelines to standardize characterization of this alteration in breast cancers. This chapter provides a brief overview of pre-analytic and analytical processing of breast specimens as well as subsequent molecular evaluation for HER2 status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Oliver A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Press
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cervantes
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santiago
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Press
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D011786:Quality Control; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human