A study of Her2/neu expression and its correlation with the histological type of gastric carcinoma

Abstract

Gastric carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, has necessitated the search for newer therapeutic regimens one of which is targeted therapy utilizing Her2neu expression. Studies have shown that the levels of Her2 protein predict the response of gastric carcinoma to Trastuzumab. This study has been done to determine Her2neu expression in gastric carcinomas and correlate it with the histological type. Immunohistochemistry for Her2neu expression was carried out on archival material from 47 cases of gastric carcinoma obtained from the Department of Pathology of Saveetha Medical College. Scoring was done based on the study by Hofmann et al. The histological type was classified using Lauren's classification and a correlation between the type and Her2neu expression was done. Positive Her2neu expression (3+) was seen in 8 cases (17%) of gastric carcinoma. Out of these 6 were of the intestinal type and 2 were diffuse. Well-differentiated carcinomas had a higher positivity for Her2neu as compared to moderately and poorly differentiated tumours. Her2neu expression in a relatively higher proportion of cases of gastric carcinoma would prompt routine testing for Her2neu expression in all cases. As the results of Trastuzumab therapy in Her2neu positive gastric carcinoma have been shown to be encouraging, it would be advisable to routinely test all cases of gastric carcinoma for Her2neu expression to use the targeted therapy effectively.