Abstract
Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to describe the role of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) as a biomarker and potential target in gynecologic malignancies and to describe contemporary updates in the use of anti-HER2 treatments for these cancers.Recent findingsApproximately 25-30% of all patients with uterine serous carcinoma overexpress tumoral HER2. The anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab represents an effective, targeted therapy with significant efficacy in the treatment of HER2-positive breast and gastric cancer. Recently, trastuzumab efficacy has also been demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial of women with advanced or recurrent uterine serous carcinoma. Additionally, trastuzumab may be effective in women with HER2-positive uterine carcinosarcoma. The role of anti-HER2 therapy is unclear in women with other gynecologic malignancies but is being evaluated.SummaryHER2 amplification/overexpression is an effective therapeutic target in select gynecologic malignancies, and especially in the rare endometrial cancer subtype, uterine serous carcinoma. As anti-HER2-targeted therapies become increasingly available, more treatment options may become available for women with HER2-positive disease.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 57-64 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- biomarker
- human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
- ovarian cancer
- uterine serous carcinoma