What is neu in breast cancer?
This is a tissue test to check if a certain protein involved in cell growth (HER2/neu) is present in some types of cancer cells. Some cancers, especially invasive breast cancers, have more HER2/neu protein than normal. About 20% of breast cancers have high numbers of these proteins on their cell surfaces.
What kind of receptor is HER2?
HER2 is a member of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER/EGFR/ERBB) family. Amplification or over-expression of this oncogene has been shown to play an important role in the development and progression of certain aggressive types of breast cancer.
How does the HER2 receptor work?
The HER2 gene makes HER2 proteins (also sometimes referred to as HER2/neu proteins). HER2 proteins are receptors on breast cells. Normally, HER2 receptors help control how a healthy breast cell grows, divides, and repairs itself.
What happens when HER2 is activated?
Context. HER2 is a membrane tyrosine kinase and oncogene that is overexpressed and gene amplified in about 20% of breast cancers. When activated it provides the cell with potent proliferative and anti-apoptosis signals and it is the major driver of tumor development and progression for this subset of breast cancer.
What does HER2/neu positive mean?
HER2-positive breast cancer is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This protein promotes the growth of cancer cells. In about 1 of every 5 breast cancers, the cancer cells have extra copies of the gene that makes the HER2 protein.
Where is HER2 normally expressed?
The HER2 receptor is a 1255 amino acid, 185 kD transmembrane glycoprotein located at the long arm of human chromosome 17 (17q12) [6]. HER2 is expressed in many tissues and its major role in these tissues is to facilitate excessive/uncontrolled cell growth and tumorigenesis [7–9].
What chromosome is HER2 on?
Breast cancer treatment depends on human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) status, which is often determined using dual probe fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Hereby, also loss and gain of the centromere of chromosome 17 (CEP17) can be observed (HER2 is located on chromosome 17).
What cancers can be HER2-positive?
Cancers that may be HER2 positive include breast, bladder, pancreatic, ovarian, and stomach cancers. Also called c-erbB-2 positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive.
What cancers are HER2 positive?
What does it mean to have HER2 positive breast cancer?
Breast cancer cells with higher than normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive. These cancers tend to grow and spread faster than other breast cancers, but are much more likely to respond to treatment with drugs that target the HER2 protein.
Are there any ligands for the HER2 receptor?
Notably, no ligands for HER2 have yet been identified. HER2 can heterodimerise with any of the other three receptors and is considered to be the preferred dimerisation partner of the other ErbB receptors.
What are the signaling pathways activated by HER2?
Signaling pathways activated by HER2 include: In summary, signaling through the ErbB family of receptors promotes cell proliferation and opposes apoptosis, and therefore must be tightly regulated to prevent uncontrolled cell growth from occurring.
Which is the monoclonal antibody for C ErbB-2 oncoprotein?
The c-erbB-2 Oncoprotein (CB11) monoclonal antibody is intended to be used for the qualitative identification by light microscopy of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue by immunohistochemical staining.
