ArticleHistopathology2022
Refining the definition of HER2-low class in invasive breast cancer.
Article in Histopathology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Clinicopathological characteristics of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 1+ cases in breast cancer].Revista medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social · 2026Observational
- Unveiling the molecular profile of adenosquamous gallbladder carcinoma: characterization of a Caucasian cohort.Histopathology · 2026Article
- Comparative Effect of African Walnut Oil and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Hematological and Oxidative Stress Markers of Female Wistar Rats With 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-Induced Breast Cancer.Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
- HER2 expression in breast cancer: evidence gaps and challenges.NPJ precision oncology · 2025Review
- Review
- Challenges & recommendations for identification of human epidermal growth factor receptor -2 (HER2)-low metastatic breast cancer in India: Expert opinion statement.The Indian journal of medical research · 2025Review
- Artificial neural network risk prediction of COPD exacerbations using urine biomarkers.ERJ open research · 2025Article
- Computational pathology in the identification of HER2-low breast cancer: Opportunities and challenges.Journal of pathology informatics · 2024Review
- Bispecific antibody drug conjugates: Making 1+1>2.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2024Review
- Challenges in HER2-low breast cancer identification, detection, and treatment.Translational breast cancer research : a journal focusing on translational research in breast cancer · 2024Review
- Concordance of HER2-low scoring in breast carcinoma among expert pathologists in the United Kingdom and the republic of Ireland -on behalf of the UK national coordinating committee for breast pathology.Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2023Article
- Evaluation ofCancers · 2023Article
- Healthy Male Individuals Possess Higher Plasma HER-2 Level than Females.Cell journal · 2023Article
- HER2-low breast cancer: insights on pathological testing.Translational breast cancer research : a journal focusing on translational research in breast cancer · 2023Review
- Pathological identification of HER2-low breast cancer: Tips, tricks, and troubleshooting for the optimal test.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2023Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEmerging evidence indicates that breast cancer (BC) patients whose tumours express HER2 protein without HER2 gene amplification (HER2-low), can benefit from antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). However, the current definition of HER2-low BC remains incomplete with low rates of concordance. This study aims to refine HER2-low definition with emphasis on distinguishing HER2 score 0 from score 1+ to identify patients who are eligible for ADC.
methodsA BC cohort (n = 363) with HER2 IHC scores 0, 1+ and 2+ (without HER2 gene amplification) and available HER2 mRNA was included. HER2 staining intensity, pattern and subcellular localisation were reassessed. Artificial neural network analysis was applied to cluster the cohort and to distinguish HER2 score 0 from 1+. Reproducibility and reliability of the refined criteria were tested.
resultsHER2 IHC score 1+ was refined as membranous staining in invasive cells as either: (1) faint intensity in ≥ 20% of cells regardless the circumferential completeness, (2) weak complete staining in ≤ 10%, (3) weak incomplete staining in > 10% and (4) moderate incomplete staining in ≤ 10%. Based on this, 63% of the HER2-negative cases were reclassified as positive (HER2-low). The refined score showed perfect observer agreement compared to the moderate agreement in the original clinical scores. Similar results were generated when the refined score was applied on the independent BC cohorts. A proposal to refine the definition of other HER2 classes is presented.
conclusionThis study refined the definition of HER2-low BC based on correlation with HER2 mRNA and distinguished between HER2 IHC score 1+ and score 0 tumours.
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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.