Knowing HER2 positive in patients with breast cancer

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Junearti Breast Cancer Patients Claimed to Prosecute Public Health Administering the Body (BPJS) and President Joko Widodo Related Trastuzumab Drug Withdrawal from the List of Guaranteed Medicines BPJS Health . This drug was originally used as a therapy for metastasis of bad cancer HER2 positive diidapnya.

"Next week we submit ourselves to the Central District Court of Jakarta," said Hemasari Dharmabumi, Juniarti's attorney at CNNIndonesia.com, Tuesday (17/7).

Status "HER2 positive" or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 makes trastuzumab so important for Juniarti. What is HER2?

Cells need genes and protein substances to stay healthy and function normally. HER2 is one of the genes that play a role in the production of HER2 protein substances. Cited at the bad cancer site, HER2 normally helps control the growth of healthy bad cells, dividing and repairing when damage occurs.

However, in about 15 to 20% of cases of invasive bad cancer or that can spread into other tissues, HER2 does not function normally. The HER2 gene produces excessive HER2 protein substances, so that bad cancer cells divide uncontrollably. In medical terms, the patient is HER2 positive.

In the case of Juniarti, Trastuzumab is used as a treatment targeting the substance of the HER2 protein in cancer cells. The drugs can prevent the growth of cancer cells, even kill it.

There are four types of tests that can be selected to determine the HER2 status: the IHC test (ImmunoHistoChemistry), the FISH test (Fluoresence In Situ Hybridization), the SPOTT-Light HER CISH test (Subtraction Probe Technology Hybridation) in situ chromogenic) and HER2 Dual ISH Inform (Inform Dual In Situ Hybridization).

The IHC test is used to see if there are too many HER2 proteins in cancer cells. The result can be 0 (negative), 1+ (negative), 2+ (threshold) or 3+ (positive).

FISH tests see if there are too many copies of the HER2 gene in cancer cells. The result may be positive or there is an amplification of the HER2 gene, or a negative alias otherwise.

The SPoT-Light HER CISH test and the HER2 Dual ISH Inform test Just like the IHC test, this test also sees when there is HER2 gene replication.

Some research shows that there are cases where the test does not give accurate results. This often happens when the test results show 2+ or the thresholds are not so strong when given a negative or positive status.

However, if the test results show positive results, patients will be advised to follow a therapeutic treatment. Suggested drugs such as kadcyla (generic name T-DM1 or ado-trastuzumab emtansine), nerlynx (neratinib), perjeta (pertuzumab), tykerb (lapatinip) and herceptin or known as trastuzumab generic. (chs)