What New Her2 Tests Say about Personalized Medicine

Traditional diagnostic tests for Her2 (the target of the drug Herceptin) have well-documented failings. In July, Monogram Biosciences launched a new Her2 test, and two months later, Genomic Health added Her2 status information to its breast cancer test. They believe that more comprehensive, multianalyte tests may better guide therapy and yield a pharmacoeconomic benefit, even at eight to 10 times the cost. These developments point to the need for a more nuanced approach to the management of cancer as a chronic disease and a more nuanced view of personalized medicine.