HER2 status for prognosis and prediction of treatment efficacy in adenocarcinomas: A review

The past few years have seen flourish new biologic parameters for cancer prognosis that are revolutionizing therapeutic strategies. HER-2 is in this perspective a striking example, as it is now a key element for the care of 15-20% of breast cancer. HER-2 overexpression has first been reported as a prognostic factor before its consideration as a main parameter to predict treatment efficacy. However, although HER-2 status is now also used as a prognostic factor for many cancers, its ability to predict the action of trastuzumab in these new contexts is much lower than in breast cancer. In this literature review, we aimed to discuss HER-2 overexpression as a prognostic factor and as a predictive parameter of treatment response in selected solid tumors with a focus on adenocarcinomas. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.