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Keeping It in the Family: HER3 as a Target in Brain Metastases
Sheheryar Kabraji1,2,3, Nancy U Lin1,2,3
1Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract:
In 180 patients with metastatic breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), HER3 expression was found in >70% of brain metastases (BM). HER3-targeting antibody-drug conjugates have demonstrated efficacy in HER3-expressing metastatic breast cancer and NSCLC. Thus, HER3 expression by IHC may be a biomarker for development of HER3-targeting BM-specific therapeutics. See related article by Tomasich et al., p. 3225.
Insights
HER3 protein is highly expressed in brain metastases for breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This suggests HER3 could be a target for new brain-metastasis-specific therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Metastatic breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) frequently metastasize to the brain.
- HER3 receptor tyrosine kinase is implicated in cancer cell proliferation and survival.
- Targeting HER3 is an emerging strategy in cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of HER3 in brain metastases (BM) from breast cancer and NSCLC.
- To evaluate the potential of HER3 as a biomarker for targeted therapies in BM.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess HER3 expression.
- Analysis was performed on tissue samples from 180 patients with BM.
Main Results:
- HER3 expression was detected in over 70% of brain metastases evaluated.
- High HER3 expression was observed in both metastatic breast cancer and NSCLC BM.
Conclusions:
- HER3 is frequently expressed in brain metastases of breast cancer and NSCLC.
- HER3 expression may serve as a predictive biomarker for HER3-targeting therapeutics in brain metastases.
- This finding supports the development of novel BM-specific therapies targeting HER3.
