Open AccessHuman epidermal growth factor receptor 2 targeted therapy in endometrial cancer: Clinical and pathological perspectives
Author(s) -
Ayumi Saito,
Hiroshi Yoshida,
Tadaaki Nishikawa,
Kan Yonemori
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
world journal of clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2218-4333
DOI - 10.5306/wjco.v12.i10.868
Subject(s) - endometrial cancer , medicine , carcinosarcoma , oncology , targeted therapy , cancer , serous fluid , epidermal growth factor receptor , carcinoma , serous carcinoma , breast cancer , cancer research , ovarian cancer
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in developed countries, and its incidence has increased. The majority of patients with endometrial cancer have an early disease and favorable prognosis; however, a significant proportion of endometrial cancer, which mainly comprises high-grade or type II endometrial cancer such as serous, clear cell, and carcinosarcoma, shows advanced/recurrent disease and dismal prognosis. Novel therapeutic development is required for patients with aggressive endometrial cancers. Recent genomic and immunohistochemical analyses revealed human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression/gene amplification in 20%-40% of patients with type II endometrial cancer. Historically, HER2 targeted therapy has been developed for various major cancers, including breast and gastric cancer. Notably, recent advances in HER2 targeted therapy for patients with type II endometrial cancer are also expected to change. Simultaneously, an optimized HER2 test for endometrial cancer as companion diagnostics should be established. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on endometrial cancer, current treatment, optimized HER2 testing, key clinical trials on HER2 targeted therapy, and future directions in aggressive endometrial cancer, including serous carcinoma and carcinosarcoma.