Dr. Fader on the Rationale for Targeting HER2/neu in Uterine Serous Carcinoma

Amanda Nickles Fader, MD, an associate professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics, vice chair of Gynecologic Surgical Operations, director of the Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service, director of the Center for Rare Gynecologic Cancers, at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and director of the F.J. Montz Fellowship Program in Gynecologic Oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses the rationale for utilizing HER2/neu as a target in uterine serous carcinoma.

As in breast cancer, HER2/neu is commonly overexpressed in select uterine cancers including uterine serous carcinoma, says Fader.

Though uterine serous carcinoma is a rare subtype of uterine cancer, a randomized phase II trial (NCT01367002) showed that up to 30% of the study population had HER2/neu overexpression, says Fader.

The study examined the efficacy of adding trastuzumab (Herceptin) to carboplatin/paclitaxel in patients with advanced or recurrent uterine serous carcinoma that overexpresses HER2/neu.

Findings from the study demonstrated that the addition of trastuzumab to chemotherapy improved progression-free survival and overall survival for patients compared with chemotherapy alone.