The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has released a tool designed to assist pathologists in the management of patients with invasive breast cancer and to further understanding of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/CAP Recommendations for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Testing in Breast Cancer.
The tool, a short presentation in emerging concepts (SPECs), focuses on the molecular test HER2, which plays a key role in breast cancer patient management. It complements the recommendations, which aim to improve the accuracy and reporting of HER2 testing, previously published in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine in 2007, followed by an update in 2013.
David G. Hicks, MD, FCAP, director of Surgical Pathology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, provided expertise to the SPEC’s development. He was an author and steering committee member for the 2013 ASCO/CAP updated recommendations. Michael Misialek, MD, FCAP, is chair of the CAP’s Personalized Health Care Committees’ SPEC Work Group, which collaborates with other expert pathologists to create and update SPEC content.
“We wrote the SPEC to clearly outline the recommendations and also compare updates in 2013 to the original recommendations published in 2007,” Hicks says. “The more resources we can provide to assist pathologists in understanding the rapid changes in molecular medicine, the better they will be equipped to serve both physicians and patients.” Read more about the CAP.
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