Her2-Positive Cancers and Antibody-Based Treatment: State of the Art and Future Developments (Volume II)

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 February 2024) | Viewed by 20652

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Elisabeth Hospital Loerrach, 79539 Loerrach, Germany
Interests: breast cancer; gynecological malignancies; targeted therapy
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Guest Editor
Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Mannheim, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Interests: pancreatic cancer; metastatic colorectal cancer; oesophageal squamous cell cancer; rectal cancer; gastric cancer
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Guest Editor
Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Technische Universität München, 81675 München, Germany
Interests: gastric cancer; metastatic colorectal cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the second edition of the Special Issue “Her2-Positive Cancers and Antibody-Based Treatment: State of the Art and Future Developments”, available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/special_issues/Her2_Positive_Cancers_Antibody_Based_Treatment

The introduction of an antibody-based treatment was a major milestone in therapy for patients with solid tumors, improving outcomes such as disease-free and progression-free survival as well as overall survival. This is especially true for Her2-neu-positive patients with breast or gastric cancer, both in the (neo-) adjuvant and metastatic setting. The expression of the Her2neu antigen, however, is not limited to those distinct tumor types. In recent years, therapeutic approaches have expanded from therapies with antibodies and chemotherapy to the introduction of antibody–drug conjugates (ADC). In advanced stages, tumor heterogeneity caused by both overexpression or downregulation of specific antigens, as well as clonal progression, may play a crucial role in the development of drug resistance. Analyzing the efficacy of targeted therapies by examining the Her2 status in liquid biopsies based on circulating tumor cells offers modalities for real-time monitoring of disease progression and therapeutic response. This Special Issue aims to deepen the understanding of novel prognostic surrogate markers, target structures, and treatment response parameters for Her2-positive cancer entities and their significance for clinical decision making. We welcome submissions that will contribute to the individualization of systemic therapy based on targeting the Her2 /ERBB2 pathways, and that could generate additional predictive factors of an antibody-based systemic therapy.

Prof. Dr. Michael Bohlmann
Prof. Dr. Ralf D. Hofheinz
Prof. Dr. Sylvie Lorenzen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Her2-neu-positive cancers
  • targeted therapy
  • circulating tumor cells
  • drug resistance
  • predictive factors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

23 pages, 404 KiB  
Review
HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer and Antibody Treatment: State of the Art and Future Developments
by Magdalena K. Scheck, Ralf D. Hofheinz and Sylvie Lorenzen
Cancers 2024, 16(7), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16071336 - 29 Mar 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4351
Abstract
Despite a decreasing incidence in Western countries, gastric cancer is among the most common cancer subtypes globally and is associated with one of the highest tumor-related mortality rates. Biomarkers play an increasing role in the treatment against gastric cancer. HER2 was one of [...] Read more.
Despite a decreasing incidence in Western countries, gastric cancer is among the most common cancer subtypes globally and is associated with one of the highest tumor-related mortality rates. Biomarkers play an increasing role in the treatment against gastric cancer. HER2 was one of the first biomarkers that found its way into clinical practice. Since the ToGA trial, trastuzumab has been part of first-line palliative chemotherapy in metastatic or unresectable gastric cancer. HER2-targeting agents, such as the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib, the antibody drug conjugate (ADC) trastuzumab-emtansine or dual HER2 inhibition (pertuzumab and trastuzumab), have been investigated in the second-line setting but led to negative study results. More recently, the ADC trastuzumab-deruxtecan was authorized after the failure of trastuzumab-based treatment. However, further improvements in HER2-directed therapy are required as resistance mechanisms and HER2 heterogeneity limit the existing treatment options. This review aims to give an overview of the current standard-of-care HER2-directed therapy in gastric cancer, as well as its challenges and future developments. Full article
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18 pages, 634 KiB  
Review
HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer: Time for Ultimate De-Escalation?
by Nikolas Tauber, Christoph Cirkel, Anna Claussen, Franziska Fick, Emmanuel Kontomanolis, Natalia Krawczyk, Achim Rody and Maggie Banys-Paluchowski
Cancers 2024, 16(6), 1121; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16061121 - 11 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5477
Abstract
De-escalation is currently taking place in both the surgical and systemic treatment of breast cancer. The introduction of trastuzumab, the first monoclonal antibody against the HER2 receptor, over 20 years ago was a milestone in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer and marked [...] Read more.
De-escalation is currently taking place in both the surgical and systemic treatment of breast cancer. The introduction of trastuzumab, the first monoclonal antibody against the HER2 receptor, over 20 years ago was a milestone in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer and marked the beginning of a new era in targeted tumor therapy. In the sense of de-escalation, omitting non-targeted cytotoxic chemotherapy altogether is often hailed as the ultimate goal of oncological research. Especially in cases of small, node-negative, HER2-positive early breast cancer, it remains a challenge for clinicians to establish the safest and most efficient treatment plan while considering the significant potential for toxic side effects associated with chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy, and the generally excellent prognosis. In this context, several ongoing studies are currently assessing chemotherapy-free regimens as part of strategies aimed at de-escalating therapy in the field of HER2-positive early breast cancer. Despite the promising early results of these studies, the combination of anti-HER2 treatment with a chemotherapy backbone remains the standard of care. Full article
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21 pages, 10757 KiB  
Review
Next-Generation HER2-Targeted Antibody–Drug Conjugates in Breast Cancer
by Brittney S. Zimmerman and Francisco J. Esteva
Cancers 2024, 16(4), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16040800 - 16 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 10248
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) tyrosine kinase is overexpressed in 20% of breast cancers and associated with a less favorable prognosis compared to HER2-negative disease. Patients have traditionally been treated with a combination of chemotherapy and HER2-targeted monoclonal antibodies such as [...] Read more.
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) tyrosine kinase is overexpressed in 20% of breast cancers and associated with a less favorable prognosis compared to HER2-negative disease. Patients have traditionally been treated with a combination of chemotherapy and HER2-targeted monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab. The HER2-targeted antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) represent a novel class of therapeutics in breast cancer. These drugs augment monoclonal antibodies with a cytotoxic payload, which is attached by a linker, forming the basic structure of an ADC. Novel combinations and sequential approaches are under investigation to overcome resistance to T-DM1 and T-DXd. Furthermore, the landscape of HER2-targeted therapy is rapidly advancing with the development of ADCs designed to attack cancer cells with greater precision and reduced toxicity. This review provides an updated summary of the current state of HER2-targeted ADCs as well as a detailed review of investigational agents on the horizon. Clinical trials are crucial in determining the optimal dosing regimens, understanding resistance mechanisms, and identifying patient populations that would derive the most benefit from these treatments. These novel ADCs are at the forefront of a new era in targeted cancer therapy, holding the potential to improve outcomes for patients with HER2-positive and HER2-Low breast cancer. Full article
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