Best pathology practices for HER2 testing interpretation, including HER2-low and ultralow, in the era of HER2-directed antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), aligned with the 2018 CAP/ASCO HER2 guidelines.

Abstract

With the emergence of studies showing clinical response to novel human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-targeted treatments among HER2-low and HER2-ultralow metastatic breast cancer patients, this gives hope to patients failing to respond to conventional treatment. Hence, the interest in identifying these group of patients is becoming important. Pathologists' interpretation and scoring of HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) was challenged from a dichotomous way to a ternary way of reporting. But HER2 IHC testing is affected by a number of pre-analytic, analytic and post-analytic challenges that could affect interpretation at the lower HER2 protein expression range. Interobserver variability among pathologists and inter-assay variabilities likewise posses a challenge since prior guidelines' emphasis were focused on recognizing HER2-overexpressed from HER2-non-overexpressed tumours. In consideration of these clinical trials, the American Society of Clinical Oncologists and College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) updated and reaffirmed the guideline on HER2 testing in 2018 and in 2023, with the criteria for HER2 categories redefined. Here, we reviewed the definition and differences among HER2-low, HER2-ultralow and HER2-null breast cancer cases as well as the different challenges on HER2 IHC testing encountered and reported, including best pathology practice recommendations to avaoid or minimize these challenges.