ArticleMolecular oncology2016
High HER2 protein levels correlate with increased survival in breast cancer patients treated with anti-HER2 therapy.
Article in Molecular oncology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 88 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Efficacy of Trastuzumab in Animal Models of Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.PloS one · 2016Pooled it
- Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in patients with HER2-amplified tumors excluding breast and gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinomas: results from the NCI-MATCH trial (EAY131) subprotocol Q.Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · 2019Trial
- Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine for Patients With HER2-Mutant Lung Cancers: Results From a Phase II Basket Trial.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2018Trial
- Right-sizing treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer: evolving algorithms across the disease continuum.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2026Review
- Routine biomarkers map response probability in HER2-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and dual HER2 blockade.BMC cancer · 2026Observational
- Clinical benefit of various HER2-directed regimens in gastrointestinal malignancies: a retrospective cohort study.BMC cancer · 2026Article
- Predictive Biomarkers of Antibody-Drug Conjugate Efficacy for Solid Tumors: Current Challenges and the Potential Role of Quantitative Proteomics.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2026Review
- Breaking the dichotomy of HER2: highlighting the flaws of simplifying variables.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Dual HER2 inhibition: mechanisms of synergy, patient selection, and resistance.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2024Review
- Predicting treatment outcome using kinome activity profiling in HER2+ breast cancer biopsies.iScience · 2024Article
- Unleashing the power of anti-HER2 therapies in metastatic colorectal cancer: paving the way for a brighter future.ESMO gastrointestinal oncology · 2024Review
- Clinical Proteomics for Solid Organ Tissues.Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP · 2023Article
- PET/CT and SPECT/CT Imaging of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Impact of VALID Act implementation on mass spectrometry-based clinical proteomic laboratory developed tests.Journal of mass spectrometry and advances in the clinical lab · 2023Review
- FISH Diagnostic Assessment ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Pathological identification of HER2-low breast cancer: Tips, tricks, and troubleshooting for the optimal test.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2023Review
- Identifying clinicopathological risk factors for regional lymph node metastasis in Chinese patients with T1 breast cancer: a population-based study.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
- Review
- The addition of FAIMS increases targeted proteomics sensitivity from FFPE tumor biopsies.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Microfluidics for detection of exosomes and microRNAs in cancer: State of the art.Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionCurrent methods to determine HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) status are affected by reproducibility issues and do not reliably predict benefit from anti-HER2 therapy. Quantitative measurement of HER2 may more accurately identify breast cancer (BC) patients who will respond to anti-HER2 treatments.
methodsUsing selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (SRM-MS), we quantified HER2 protein levels in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples that had been classified as HER2 0, 1+, 2+ or 3+ by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to obtain optimal HER2 protein expression thresholds predictive of HER2 status (by standard IHC or in situ hybridization [ISH]) and of survival benefit after anti-HER2 therapy.
resultsAbsolute HER2 amol/μg levels were significantly correlated with both HER2 IHC and amplification status by ISH (p < 0.0001). A HER2 threshold of 740 amol/μg showed an agreement rate of 94% with IHC and ISH standard HER2 testing (p < 0.0001). Discordant cases (SRM-MS-negative/ISH-positive) showed a characteristic amplification pattern known as double minutes. HER2 levels >2200 amol/μg were significantly associated with longer disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in an adjuvant setting and with longer OS in a metastatic setting.
conclusionQuantitative HER2 measurement by SRM-MS is superior to IHC and ISH in predicting outcome after treatment with anti-HER2 therapy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.