Dr. Santin on Rationale for Trastuzumab in Uterine Serous Carcinoma

Alessandro D. Santin, MD, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, discusses the rationale for trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the treatment of patients with uterine serous carcinoma.

A small randomized study showed that patients with HER2-positive uterine serous carcinoma had a greater than 50% improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) when treated with trastuzumab and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone. A preliminary survival analysis showed a trend in favor of the trastuzumab arm, as the median PFS increased from 8.0 months with carboplatin and paclitaxel to 12.6 months with the addition of trastuzumab to the same chemotherapy regimen.

About 30% of patients with uterine serous carcinoma overexpressed HER2/neu, says Santin. This overexpression may qualify a patient for treatment with trastuzumab.