Can immunohistochemistry reliably diagnose HER2-low?
To date, we have had little evidence of whether immunohistochemistry (IHC) can reliably diagnose HER2-low breast cancers. Now a new study has assessed the concordance between expert pathologists using IHC to assess HER2 levels – and the results will do little to reassure patients
IHC vs MammaTyper® – how reproducible is the breast cancer diagnosis?
New developments in HER2-directed therapies have meant that people with low levels of HER2 expression may benefit from treatments such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu). Previously this group would have been deemed ‘HER2-negative’, but now, the distinction of the HER2-low group is clinically important. In light of this, two recent studies have looked at the concordance between different laboratories on HER2-low scoring using immunohistochemistry (IHC). A study of 16 expert pathologists from the UK National Coordinating Committee for Breast Pathology found overall agreement was low. A separate European study, led by researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands, came to a similar conclusion.
POETIC study reveals further insights into Ki67
Ki67 has long been recognised as a valuable prognostic marker in breast cancer, with potential as a predictive marker to guide treatment decisions. A new analysis of a landmark study has revealed more insights into Ki67 and how it relates to other clinico-pathological features. The findings serve as a reminder of the importance of Ki67, but also highlights one of the many challenges of scoring Ki67 using immunohistochemistry.
HER2-low – is IHC good enough anymore?
We look closer at the recent draft guidelines on HER2-testing in breast cancer, and examine alternatives to immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the task of identifying HER2-low tumours. In June 2022, one conference presentation changed how we use HER2-directed treatments in breast cancer – and challenged the status quo in HER2 testing.
New study proves ability of MammaTyper® to accurately distinguish HER2-low breast cancer tumours
A new study conducted in China and accepted as a poster at the ASCO congress in Chicago, has shown that MammaTyper®, an RT-qPCR assay, has the ability to accurately distinguish between HER2-low/neg breast cancer tumours. This means that therapies such as Trastuzumab deruxtecan that are specifically designed to target these types of tumours can be prescribed where appropriate and treatment is more likely to be successful.
Cerca Biotech and Sysmex announce major MammaTyper® European distribution agreement
Cerca Biotech, the company behind MammaTyper®, the innovative breast cancer diagnostic assay, have signed a multi-market European distribution agreement with Sysmex Europe SE. The agreement means that MammaTyper® will form part of the Sysmex Life Sciences portfolio in 13 European markets, including the UK, Ireland and much of mainland Europe. It follows on from successful partnerships for Cerca Biotech with distributors based in Italy, Turkey and Switzerland.
What have we been up to in January?
We got 2023 off to a great start with our MammaTyper® International Distributor Meeting on 12th and 13th of January in Venice. Our distributors brought a wealth of clinical and technical expertise from the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Romania, Israel and Greece. Our community benefitted from pathology and oncology talks from eminent clinicians, who presented the latest updates to the MammaTyper® evidence-base. Professor Abeer Shaaban attended the day: find out more about her work in breast pathology on our blog.
Interview: Professor Abeer Shaaban: consultant breast pathologist
Professor Abeer Shaaban is a specialist consultant breast pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham. She has led a number of research studies and contributed to landmark breast cancer trials. Dr Shaaban recently led a study with a team of researchers from the UK and Egypt comparing MammaTyper® ® RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assessment on needle core biopsies of breast cancer. We spoke to Professor Shaaban about her life-saving work and her role in this piece of research.
Stage 4 breast cancer: treatment advances
Breast cancer tissue is assessed at diagnosis to determine treatment approach and prognosis. Whilst stage 4 or metastatic breast cancer is classed as incurable, treatment options that can prolong life are becoming available. However, we need to ensure that diagnostic technology used in labs keeps pace with advances in treatment, so that those with this late-stage cancer can access these innovative therapies
MEDICA and EBCC: Rich’s Conference Diary
Cerca Biotech was well represented last week at both MEDICA 2022 and the EBCC13 meeting in Barcelona. Interest in MammaTyper® at MEDICA; the interest was for both our MammaTyper® RT-PCR breast cancer subtyping assay and the newly released CercaTest Pre-eclampsia Vue™ point of care test. Breast cancer innovation showcased at EBCC The 13th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) in Barcelona saw clinicians involved in breast cancer care from across Europe and beyond descend on Barcelona for a three-day meeting.
New multigene breast cancer test could speed up accurate diagnosis for women, evidence suggests
Three new research studies have concluded that MammaTyper could provide a reliable, efficient, and reproducible alternative to the molecular subtyping of breast cancer tumours.
Research Project N.1 from Univ. Birmingham (UK)
Breast cancer biomarkers help clinicians determine a patient’s breast cancer sub-type. This plays a vital role in tailoring treatment effectively. Newer multigene tests such as MammaTyper® go further in assessing intrinsic properties of breast cancer tumours that impact on tumour behaviour.
Research Project N.2 from Portugal
Traditionally, breast cancer prognosis is determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC). With the development of genomics (the study of the genes in our DNA), molecular subtyping became available, enabling clinicians to better decide on the best treatment approach for patients.
Research Project N. 3 from Zhejiang University School of Medicine (China)
Traditional immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods may not offer precise differentiation between HER2-negative and HER2-low tumours. This could be due to human differences in interpretation for example. Some patients who may benefit from this new life-extending treatment may not be picked up using IHC and therefore will not have access to it
Cerca Biotech: November update
November is a busy month for the team at Cerca Biotech. We will be in Dusseldorf, Germany for MEDICA 2022, 14-17 November. To add to the fun we are also presenting the same week at the European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) in Barcelona, Spain, from the 16th to 18th November.
November is a busy month for the team at Cerca Biotech
At EBCC we’re presenting exciting new research, as part of the ‘optimal diagnosis’ sessions. The data compares MammaTyper® to traditional immunohistochemistry (IHC) from three different reference centre cohorts in needle core biopsies of breast cancer.
Treatment for triple-negative breast cancer will now be available for patients in England
The rapid diagnosis, subtyping and identification of tumours, including those that are triple-negative, is key to the fight against breast cancer. Today, NHS England announced a deal to roll-out the drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) for patients with triple-negative breast cancer
World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day: why the research and the people behind MammaTyper® matter.
The development of robust and trustworthy medical evidence relies on global collective efforts: researchers around the world have long known this.
Low HER2 breast cancer: progress in treatment needs progress in diagnostics.
If you’re in the breast cancer world, then you’ve undoubtably been following the exciting developments in the treatment of HER2-low breast cancers. At Cerca Biotech, it’s our mission to help identify all breast cancer patients who can be treated with these new therapies.
October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month
It’s October, which means it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. This journey starts with accurate diagnosis: and that is where MammaTyper® comes in.