Dr. Salani on the Role of HER2 Expression in Advanced Uterine Serous Carcinoma

Ritu Salani, MD, MBA, director, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the role of HER2 expression on treatment decisions in advanced uterine serous carcinomas.

Testing for HER2 expression has become part of the standard of care for patients with uterine serous carcinoma, according to Salani, who adds that HER2 expression can be part of a pathology report. For patients with HER2-positive disease, trastuzumab (Herceptin) is added to chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin and paclitaxel, Salani explains.

Adding a HER2-targeted agent is not a universal decision across different histologies, Salani stresses. However, the development of antibody-drug conjugates have been well tolerated and have shown activity in patients with select HER2-low cancers, Salani continues. These findings could open additional avenues of treatment for subsets of patients with HER2-positive disease in different histologies, Salani concludes.