HER2-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER

TYPES

Breast cancer has several types:

• Angiosarcoma
• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
• Inflammatory breast cancer
• Invasive lobular carcinoma
• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
• Male breast cancer
• Paget’s disease of the breast
• Recurrent breast cancer

SYMPTOMS

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

• A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
• Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast
• Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
• A newly inverted nipple
• Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple or breast skin
• Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

DIAGNOSIS

Breasts cancer can be diagnosed using these tests:

• Breast exam. Your breasts and the lymph nodes in your armpit will be checked for any lumps and other symptoms.
• X-ray of the breasts is called an It is commonly used to check a breast cancer patient. A diagnostic mammogram is a next step if abnormalities are detected for further evaluation.
• Ultrasound produces images of the structures of the body by using sound waves. If a solid mass or a fluid-filled cyst is detected, ultrasound is used to help determine it.
• Breast cells removal or b To diagnose breast cancer, biopsy should be done. A specialized needle is used, guided by x-ray, to extract the core tissue in a suspicious area of the body. To determine whether the cells are cancerous, doctors send biopsy samples to the laboratory. It is also used to determine what kind of cells they are, the aggressiveness of cancer, or whether the cancers have hormone receptors that can be used for your treatment.
• The MRI or Breast Resonance Imaging. To view the interior of your breasts, doctors use an MRI machine to create pictures. At the start, the injection of dye is done. MRI does not use any radiation to create images.

TREATMENT

HER2 is often targeted by treatments. There are treatments that can be more effective in treating it. Treatments include:

• Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla)
• Lapatinib (Tykerb)
• Neratinib (Nerlynx)
• Pertuzumab (Perjeta)
• Trastuzumab (Herceptin)

As an add-on, there are several medications and tests in clinical trials that target HER2.Treatments on HER2 positive breast cancers such as standard chemotherapy may effective, but they cannot target HER2 protein easily. To ensure the presence of HER2, breast cancer patients must be tested by doctors, for the assurance that treatment is recommended and decisions are not affected. When breast cancer spreads, another test for HER2 and hormone receptor status may be needed, as it may have affected the original diagnosis.