Dr. Westin on Novel Targets in Endometrial Cancer

Shannon N. Westin, MD, MPH, clinical investigator and director of Early Drug Development and Phase I Trials in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses novel targets in endometrial cancer.

Uterine cancer has several targetable aberrations, says Westin. Many research efforts have been made with regard to the PI3K pathway; mutations in this pathway occur in about 80% of endometrial cancers, adds Westin.

The mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor) and the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femara) have demonstrated activity as single agents in uterine cancer, but the combination of these agents can lead to high response rates that are durable in patients with endometrioid cancer, says Westin.

Everolimus plus letrozole is being compared with chemotherapy in an ongoing clinical trial to determine whether the chemotherapy-free regimen has utility in the frontline treatment of this patient population, concludes Westin.