HER2 Status in Gastric Cancer: Comparison between Primary and Distant Metastatic Disease

HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2) assessment in histological samples of gastric cancer is essential to determine which patients might benefit from trastuzumab therapy. HER2 is often evaluated in primary tumor even if trastuzumab therapy is used to treat metastatic disease. However, the exact relationship in terms of HER2 status between primary and metastatic tumors has not been fully clarified. We aimed to evaluate the HER2 status concordance between primary gastric cancer and corresponding distant metastasis. HER2 status was evaluated by IHC (immunohistochemistry) and/or FISH ( fluorescence in situ hybridization) in 41 patients in primary gastric cancer and in paired metastasis. HER2 was assessed according scoring criteria applied in clinical approach. HER2 positivity was found in 14,6 % primary tumors and in 24,4%corresponding metastasis. HER2 concordance rate between primary and metastasis was 80,5 % (K-value = 0,388). Eight/41 (19,5 %)cases resulted discordant: 6 patients with metastatic HER2 positive lesions were found HER2 negative in primary cancers while 2 patient HER2 positive in primary lesion showed a negative conversion in metastasis. Our results showed a good concordance in terms of HER2 status between primary and metastatic lesions, as well as in biopsy and surgical removed specimens. However, the higher rate of HER2 positive status found in metastatic lesions underlined the importance of HER2 assessment in all samples obtained from different sites of gastric cancer disease.