Trastuzumab treatment in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma overexpressing HER2/neu

Objective: To study the effect of trastuzumab in patients with progressive or recurrent metastatic endometrial carcinoma shown by immunohistochemistry to overexpress the HER2/neu receptor. Methods: Disease progression was examined in 2 patients who met the study criteria, had c-erbB2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and were treated with trastuzumab following radiation treatment and/or salvage chemotherapy. Results: The clinical responses to trastuzumab as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy were confirmed in both patients by serial CT scans and serum CA-125 evaluations. These patients with progressive or recurrent metastatic disease experienced relief from their symptoms and prolonged survival with no significant toxicity observed. Conclusion: Trastuzumab may be a viable therapeutic option as single agent or in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced, recurrent, and/or metastatic endometrial carcinomas overexpressing HER2/neu. (C) 2008 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.