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The U. S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a
7/16/2008
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a genetic test to help determine if breast cancer patients would benefit from the drug Herceptin.

The new test calculates how many copies of the HER-2 gene are present in cancer cells. 

Approximately 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers over-express the H E R–2 gene. These tumors tend to grow faster and are generally more likely to recur. 

The drug Herceptin targets the H E R-2 protein to help stop the growth of cancer cells.