<i>HER2</i> mutations in advanced NSCLC: Prevalence, mutational context, and clinical outcomes from an Australian clinico-genomic database.

e20673 Background: ERBB2 mutations ( HER2 mut) are an emerging target in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (ns-NSCLC), with second-line response rates &gt;50% to tyrosine kinase inhibitors or antibody–drug conjugates (HER2tx). Their novelty necessitates large-scale studies to better define the clinico-molecular context. Methods: 1,257 ns-NSCLC patients in Australia underwent comprehensive genomic profiling (TSO-500, FoundationOne CDx, or Avenio). HER2 mut were curated for oncogenicity and co-mutation patterns. Logistic regression was conducted for raw prevalence values, accounting for sex, smoking status and ethnicity. Overall survival (OS) was assessed via Kaplan-Meier curves relative to 3:1 propensity-matched wild-type cases (matched by age, sex, histology). Results: HER2 mut prevalence was 6.2% (78/1,257), excluding 22 additional (1.8%) amplification-only cases. Never-smokers had a 4.43 odds ratio for HER2 mut after adjusting for ethnicity and sex (p &lt; .001). Sixty (77%) mapped to the kinase domain, with 54 (69%) in exon 20. Mutations were mutually exclusive for KRAS, BRAF, and EGFR (p &lt; .001). HER2 mut were less frequently TMB-high or PD-L1 high (p = .007) and were depleted for KEAP1/STK11 , enriched for ARID1A, and showed over-representation of 9p21/ MTAP loss (22% vs 9%; p &lt; .001). OS was shorter in HER2 mut vs wild-type patients (median 20.1 vs 28.7 mo; p = .01), while amplification-only tumours had an OS of 16.4 mo. HER2tx exposure in HER2 mut cases showed a trend for improved OS vs HER2tx-naïve patients (median 22.9 vs 19.3 mo; p = .176). Conclusions: HER2 mut was relatively common in non-smokers. While typically not TMB-H, an enrichment of other features provides opportunity for immunotherapy combination and potentially MTAP inhibition. HER2 mut had a poor prognosis relative to wild-type, with a trend to improved outcomes in those HER2tx exposed.

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Journal
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Published
2026-05-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e20673
Primary Topic
Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
Type
article
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article

HER2 mutations in advanced NSCLC: Prevalence, mutational context, and clinical outcomes from an Australian clinico-genomic database.

Christine E. Napier, Lia Papadopoulos, Damien Kee, Gregory Gaughran et al.
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
article

HER2 mutations in advanced NSCLC: Prevalence, mutational context, and clinical outcomes from an Australian clinico-genomic database.

Christine E. Napier, Lia Papadopoulos, Damien Kee, Gregory Gaughran, V Bernard-Gauthier, Vincent Caillet, Jihong Zong, Qayyim Said, Mandy L. Ballinger, David Morgan Thomas, Milita Zaheed, Subotheni Thavaneswaran, John Simes, Samuel J. Harris, Melvyn Yap
article en

Abstract

e20673 Background: ERBB2 mutations ( HER2 mut) are an emerging target in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (ns-NSCLC), with second-line response rates &gt;50% to tyrosine kinase inhibitors or antibody–drug conjugates (HER2tx). Their novelty necessitates large-scale studies to better define the clinico-molecular context. Methods: 1,257 ns-NSCLC patients in Australia underwent comprehensive genomic profiling (TSO-500, FoundationOne CDx, or Avenio). HER2 mut were curated for oncogenicity and co-mutation patterns. Logistic regression was conducted for raw prevalence values, accounting for sex, smoking status and ethnicity. Overall survival (OS) was assessed via Kaplan-Meier curves relative to 3:1 propensity-matched wild-type cases (matched by age, sex, histology). Results: HER2 mut prevalence was 6.2% (78/1,257), excluding 22 additional (1.8%) amplification-only cases. Never-smokers had a 4.43 odds ratio for HER2 mut after adjusting for ethnicity and sex (p &lt; .001). Sixty (77%) mapped to the kinase domain, with 54 (69%) in exon 20. Mutations were mutually exclusive for KRAS, BRAF, and EGFR (p &lt; .001). HER2 mut were less frequently TMB-high or PD-L1 high (p = .007) and were depleted for KEAP1/STK11 , enriched for ARID1A, and showed over-representation of 9p21/ MTAP loss (22% vs 9%; p &lt; .001). OS was shorter in HER2 mut vs wild-type patients (median 20.1 vs 28.7 mo; p = .01), while amplification-only tumours had an OS of 16.4 mo. HER2tx exposure in HER2 mut cases showed a trend for improved OS vs HER2tx-naïve patients (median 22.9 vs 19.3 mo; p = .176). Conclusions: HER2 mut was relatively common in non-smokers. While typically not TMB-H, an enrichment of other features provides opportunity for immunotherapy combination and potentially MTAP inhibition. HER2 mut had a poor prognosis relative to wild-type, with a trend to improved outcomes in those HER2tx exposed.

Journal of Clinical OncologyVol. 44(16_suppl)
The University of Sydney (AU), Bayer (United States) (US), St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne (AU), Bayer (Canada) (CA), Bendigo Health (AU), The Kinghorn Cancer Centre (AU), National Health and Medical Research Council (AU)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
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