HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
- Cancer is usually named according to the body part from where the tumor gets originated. The breast cancer is originated in the milk production glands, which are present in breast tissues known to be as lobules and it also arises in the ducts connected to the lobules.
- The breast cancer that is going to spread beyond these ducts or lobules is called to be infiltrating ductal or invasive carcinoma. HER2 is also invited to be as ERBB2 that is an Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2. HER2 is a human epidermal growth factor receptor two that plays a vital role in the case of breast cancer. HER2 or ERBB2 gene is used for coding HER2 or ERBB2 proteins, which are the receptors present on the breast.
- Based on the levels of HER2 or ERBB2 presence, breast cancer is categorized as HER2 or ERBB2 positive or HER2 negative breast cancer. The HER2 or ERBB2 receptors in the healthy breast controls growth, division and repairing and the HER2 or ERBB2 positive breast cancer shows over-expression of HER2 or ERBB2. The levels of HER2 protein is in normal in case of HER2 negative breast cancer.
- The HER2 negative breast cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and endocrine or hormonal therapy. Hormonal or endocrine therapy is an adjunct therapy that is given to patients after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which is generally used for HER2 negative breast cancer.
- Hormonal therapy work on the two basics; hormonal drugs or medications, which will bring down the estrogen level in the body or the growth and function of breast cells supporting estrogen is going to be blocked.
- Hence, hormonal therapy is only helpful if the breast cancer cells are having hormone receptors, which can be targeted in the treatment therapy.
- The hormonal therapy is of no use for treatment in case of TNBC (Triple Negative Breast Cancer), where the breast cancer cells are negative for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2).
- Several new market entrants’ sales in the HR+ setting that includes CDK4/6, phosphoinositide three kinase (PI3K) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors can be driven by combinations using generic agents. Several agents within the CDK4/6 inhibitors that are expected to launch and uptake can be determined by the combination strategy.
- Recently, an advantage of using Faslodex over non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors (NSAID) in the patients with the non-visceral disease is going to provide clinical differentiation between drugs in the class.
- There are PARP inhibitors in BRCA mutation-positive subset of the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) setting of treating HER2 negative breast cancer.
- Combinatory approaches will play an essential role in the production of new pipeline candidates such as the synergistic combination of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) modulator Tecentriq with the taxane-based agent, Abraxane.
- The launch of three CDK 4/6 inhibitors like abemaciclib, palbociclib, LEE011 and four PARP inhibitors in the TNBC setting like niraparib, talazoparib, Lynparza, veliparib is expected.
- The high incidence and the growing prevalence of breast cancer worldwide in women is the driver for HER2 negative breast cancer treatment market.
- There are many drugs in a pipeline used for the treatment of HER2 negative breast cancer and also for the treatment of breast cancer in general. While the restraints in the HER2 negative breast cancer treatment market is known to be the side effects of treatment like chemotherapy; there is also the threat of reoccurrence of the tumors in most of the treatments, and treatment of cancer requiring few or more procedures together is stressful and expensive for the patient.
