HER-2 underexpression

P1/2, N=178, Recruiting, Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Nanjing Shunxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. | Not yet recruiting --> Recruiting

HER2-low early breast cancer shows lower pCR after neoadjuvant therapy but better long-term survival. These findings support the clinical relevance of HER2-low as a biologically meaningful subgroup within HER2-negative disease, while its status as a stable and independent subtype still requires further validation through prospective studies, standardized testing, and multi-omics investigation.

P2/3, N=574, Recruiting, SUNHO（China）BioPharmaceutical CO., Ltd. | N=90 --> 574 | Trial completion date: Jul 2028 --> Jul 2029 | Trial primary completion date: Jul 2026 --> Jul 2028

HER2-low breast cancer is distinct from HER2-0 and HER2-high breast cancer with respect to clinicopathological characteristics. HER2-low breast cancer is highly unstable during chemotherapy; therefore, reevaluating HER2 expression may provide new treatment strategies for some patients after neoadjuvant therapy.

HER2-low and HER2-zero TNBC are biologically distinct subgroups. HER2-low tumors are enriched in luminal AR-like characteristics, whereas HER2-zero tumors exhibit basal-like, highly proliferative, and immunogenic features. Although the treatment outcomes did not differ significantly, these findings suggest that HER2-low and HER2-zero TNBC may require different therapeutic approaches. Prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings and further explore tailored treatment strategies.

This review highlights the importance of radiotherapy in the management of BCBM and provides evidence-based recommendations. Future research should focus on optimizing treatment protocols and investigating the optimal timing of radiotherapy across different subtypes.

HER2-low G/GEJ cancer represents a distinct biological subtype with intermediate survival outcomes and specific angiogenesis-related molecular features. These findings support the need for dedicated therapeutic strategies and further clinical research in HER2-low G/GEJ cancer.

Heterogeneity in ER, PR, HER2, and molecular subtype expression significantly influences prognosis and treatment outcomes in metastatic breast cancer. Reassessment of receptor status in metastatic lesions is essential for optimizing individualized treatment strategies and improving patient outcomes.

The habitat model exhibited better discriminatory effectiveness in identifying HER2 positive expression in young breast cancer patients, in comparison to the whole-tumor radiomics model. The integration of conventional whole-tumor radiomics features with habitat features and clinicopathological characteristics can enhance model performance.

Our QIA method can be beneficial to use as a reliable HER2 scoring tool for HER2 classical overexpression and HER2-low in BCs. It was found to be agnostic and provided same accuracy irrespective of IHC assay applied.

P1/2, N=30, Completed, National Cancer Center Hospital East

An mpMRI-based nomogram incorporating radscore and clinical-radiological characteristics showed good predictive efficacy for assessing the HR status of HER2-low expression breast cancer.