Laboratory Testing for HER2 Status in Breast Cancer

This presentation provides an overview on laboratory testing for HER2 status in breast cancer. Clinical relevance, testing methods, and current controversies in HER2 testing are reviewed. In situ hybridization testing is reviewed in depth, with a discussion of the impact of the 2013 updated ASCO/CAP Guidelines on HER2 testing in breast cancer.

Lecture Presenter
Katherine Geiersbach, MD, FCAP, FACMG
Katherine Geiersbach, MD, FCAP, FACMG
Medical Director, Solid Tumor Molecular Diagnostics, ARUP Laboratories
Assistant Professor of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine

Dr. Geiersbach is an assistant professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She received her MD from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed her residency in pathology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Geiersbach is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic and clinical pathology, with subspecialty certification in molecular genetic pathology and clinical cytogenetics. She is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American College of Medical Genetics. Dr. Geiersbach’s research interests include DNA-based genotyping of molar pregnancy, cytogenetic abnormalities in spontaneous pregnancy loss, and genetic abnormalities in cancer.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

Clinical relevance of HER2 status for treatment of breast cancer.
Standard approaches for determining HER2 status in breast cancer.
Current concepts and controversies in HER2 testing.