Development and evaluation of a novel RT-qPCR based test for the quantification of HER2 gene expression in breast cancer.

Accurate measurement of Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) gene expression is central for breast or stomach cancer therapy orientation and prognosis. The current standards testing methods for HER2 expression are immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In the current study, we explored the use of quantitative real time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) as a potential method for the accurate relative quantification of the HER2 gene using formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) breast cancer biopsy samples.