Not an actual patient.

Not an actual patient.

When you’re living
with metastatic breast cancer

When you’re living with
metastatic breast cancer

HER2 Status
Matters 

Metastatic breast cancer doesn’t care about who you love, how you love, or if you love at all. Because cancer doesn’t care about your relationship status. But your HER2 status? Cancer cares about that.

Understanding your HER2 status may lead to a more personalized treatment aimed at better managing your disease.


HER2=human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. 

so, what exactly
is her2?

first, let’s talk
about biomarkers 

HER2 is a type of biomarker. Biomarkers can show us whether processes in the cell are working the way they should. And they can help doctors understand how metastatic breast cancer may progress and how it might respond to treatment.

Normally, HER2 is a protein that helps
cells grow and repair themselves.

HER2 protein

But too much HER2 may cause
cells to grow uncontrollably and
become cancerous.

Too much HER2

The amount of HER2 on the surface
of cancer cells helps to determine
someone's HER2 status.

Microscope

in metastatic
breast cancer,

her2 levels can
have an impact

Knowledge about HER2 has come a long way. Doctors have learned that many people with breast cancer have enough HER2 to be detected by a lab test.

For years, it was believed HER2 status was either positive or negative.

Now we know it exists on a spectrum.

HER2-
negative
Low levels
of HER2
HER2-
positive

Many people who were told their breast cancer was HER2-negative may actually have low levels of HER2 in their cancer cells. Not high enough to be called HER2-positive, but still higher than what’s seen in normal cells. These levels can still matter.

If you were once told you had HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, you may actually have HER2 levels that matter.

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do you know

your her2 status?

What if I don’t know my HER2 status?  Toggle Arrow

Ask to get tested.  

Your doctor can perform a biopsy, which takes a small sample of your tumor to see if you’re HER2-positive. If you’ve already had one, you can ask your doctor to reexamine a sample from an existing biopsy. If you haven’t had a biopsy, your doctor can perform one to confirm your HER2 status.

Okay, what happens next?  

If the test shows that you’re HER2-positive, your doctor may recommend a targeted treatment plan that’s fine-tuned to your cancer.

I already know my HER2 status. Now what?    Toggle Arrow

Ask for another look at your biopsy.  

Even if you’ve been tested before, there might be more to your HER2 status than you previously thought.

For people with metastatic breast cancer this may be important, because knowledge about HER2 has come a long way in recent years.

Ask your doctor to reexamine your biopsy results to ensure that you know your HER2 status is up-to-date.

Don’t let the conversation slip your mind. Talking to your doctor about your HER2 status may help shape personalized care.

now you know your
her2 status matters

and so do your
options

Discover how your HER2 status may change your metastatic breast cancer plan

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Woman looking straight ahead 1 Woman looking straight ahead 1 Not an actual patient.

Hear About HER2

Learn why others
believe HER2 status
matters

Dr Jules Cohen, a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer, discusses why HER2 status matters

Sharing your HER2
status story could be
invaluable to others

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metastatic breast cancer

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