Dr. Raghav on HER2 Amplification in Patients With CRC

Kanwal Raghav, MBBS, MD, assistant professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a study examining HER2 gene amplification in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

In the study, researcher sought to identify the differences between patients with and without HER2-amplified disease, Raghav explains. Preclinical data show that HER2-amplified patients are resistant to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab (Erbitux) and panitumumab (Vectibix).

HER2-amplified patients who received an anti-EGFR agent plus chemotherapy did not respond to treatment, and the median progression-free survival was less than 3 months compared with 8 to 9 months in patients who were not HER2-amplified. These findings demonstrate that HER2 amplification is a negative prognostic biomarker.