Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Building Up a High-throughput Screening Platform to Assess the Heterogeneity of HER2 Gene Amplification in Breast Cancers
11:34

Building Up a High-throughput Screening Platform to Assess the Heterogeneity of HER2 Gene Amplification in Breast Cancers

Published on: December 5, 2017

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Changes in HER2, ER, PR, and Ki-67 in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Case-Control

Youzhao Ma1,2,3,4,5, Yan Yang6, Mingda Zhu7

  • 1The First Department of Breast Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Huan-Hu-Xi Road, He-Xi District, Tianjin 300060, China.

Current Oncology (Toronto, Ont.)
|January 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer frequently alters receptor status, particularly human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), impacting treatment strategies. Understanding these changes is key for optimizing patient care and developing new therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Medical Diagnostics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a standard treatment for breast cancer.
  • Assessing receptor status changes post-NAC is crucial for treatment response and prognosis.
  • Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) status can dynamically change after NAC, influencing therapeutic decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate receptor status alterations following NAC in breast cancer patients.
  • To identify potential new therapeutic targets based on post-NAC receptor expression.
  • To refine methods for HER2 detection and categorization after NAC.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 508 breast cancer patients undergoing NAC and surgery.
  • Utilized Chi-square tests and logistic regression to analyze HER2 status changes.
  • Examined correlations between receptor discordance and clinicopathological features.

Main Results:

  • Significant discordance rates observed post-NAC: 5.3% for ER, 21.3% for PR, and 43.7% for HER2.
  • HER2 status conversion was common, with notable shifts between HER2-0, HER2-low (IHC 1+), and HER2 IHC 2+/ISH- categories.
  • Tumor grade and baseline HER2 expression levels (IHC 1+ vs. 2+) influenced HER2 conversion rates post-NAC.

Conclusions:

  • NAC commonly induces ER gain, PR loss, and Ki-67 reduction in breast cancer.
  • HER2 and ER status modifications post-NAC often occur between adjacent expression levels.
  • These receptor dynamics highlight the need for re-evaluation of biomarker status after NAC to guide subsequent treatment.
Keywords:
HER2 changebreast cancerneoadjuvant chemotherapy

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