Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is a biologically aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer. We analyzed the mutational landscape of USC by whole-exome sequencing of 57 cancers, most of which were matched to normal DNA from the same patients. The distribution of the number of protein-altering somatic mutations revealed that 52 USC tumors had fewer than 100 (median 36), whereas 5 had more than 3,000 somatic mutations. The mutations in these latter tumors showed hallmarks of defects in DNA mismatch repair. Among the remainder, we found a significantly increased burden of mutation in 14 genes. In addition to well-known cancer genes (i.e., TP53, PIK3CA, PPP2R1A, KRAS, FBXW7), there were frequent mutations in CHD4/ Mi2b, a member of the NuRD-chromatin-remodeling complex, and TAF1, an element of the core TFIID transcriptional machinery. Additionally, somatic copy-number variation was found to play an important role in USC, with 13 copy-number gains and 12 copy-number losses that occurred more often than expected by chance. In addition to loss of TP53, we found frequent deletion of a small segment of chromosome 19 containing MBD3, also a member of the NuRDchromatin-modification complex, and frequent amplification of chromosome segments containing PIK3CA, ERBB2 (an upstream activator of PIK3CA), and CCNE1 (a target of FBXW7-mediated ubiquitination). These findings identify frequent mutation of DNA damage, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle, and cell proliferation pathways in USC and suggest potential targets for treatment of this lethal variant of endometrial cancer.endometrial carcinoma | uterine serous papillary cancer | cancer genomics E ndometrial cancer is the most prevalent gynecologic tumor in women, with an annual incidence of 47,130 new cases and 8,010 deaths in 2012 in the United States (1). On the basis of clinical and histopathological features, endometrial cancer is classified into type I and type II disease groups (2). Type I tumors, which constitute the majority of cases, are generally diagnosed at an early stage, are low grade and endometrioid in histology, are associated with a history of hyperestrogenism, and typically have a good prognosis. In contrast, type II cancers are poorly differentiated, often with serous papillary [uterine serous carcinoma (USC)] or clear cell histology. Although these tumors account for a minority of endometrial cancers, the majority of relapses and deaths occur in this group of patients (2).Among type II cancers, USC represents the most biologically aggressive subtype (3, 4). Classically, the neoplastic epithelium is characterized by serous differentiation with psammoma bodies and a predominantly papillary architecture (3). Pleomorphic cytology with nuclear atypia, prominent nucleoli, a vescicular chromatin pattern, and high mitotic activity are seen. Clinically, USC has a propensity for early intra-abdominal and lymphatic spread (3) and is more commonly diagnosed in women of African ancestry (3-5). The overall 5-y survival of USC is only 30 ± 9% for all stages, and the recurre...

Purpose Uterine serous carcinoma is a rare, aggressive variant of endometrial cancer. Trastuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu, a receptor overexpressed in 30% of uterine serous carcinoma. This multicenter, randomized phase II trial compared carboplatin-paclitaxel with and without trastuzumab in patients with advanced or recurrent uterine serous carcinoma who overexpress HER2/neu. Methods Eligible patients had primary stage III or IV or recurrent HER2/neu-positive disease. Participants were randomly assigned to receive carboplatin-paclitaxel (control arm) for six cycles with or without intravenous trastuzumab (experimental arm) until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was progression-free survival, which was assessed for differences between treatment arms via one-sided log-rank tests. Results From August 2011 to March 2017, 61 patients were randomly assigned. Forty progression-free survival-related events occurred among 58 evaluable participants. Among all patients, median progression-free survival was 8.0 months (control) versus 12.6 months (experimental; P = .005; hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; 90% CI, 0.26 to 0.76). Similarly, median progression-free survival was 9.3 (control) versus 17.9 (experimental) months among 41 patients with stage III or IV disease undergoing primary treatment ( P = .013; HR, 0.40; 90% CI, 0.20 to 0.80) and 6.0 (control) versus 9.2 months (experimental), respectively, among 17 patients with recurrent disease ( P = .003; HR, 0.14; 90% CI, 0.04 to 0.53). Toxicity was not different between treatment arms, and no unexpected safety signals emerged. Conclusion Addition of trastuzumab to carboplatin-paclitaxel was well tolerated and increased progression-free survival. These encouraging results deserve further investigation to determine their impact on overall survival in patients with advanced or recurrent uterine serous carcinoma who overexpress HER2/neu.

HER2 or ErbB2 is a member of the epidermal growth factor family and is overexpressed in subsets of breast, ovarian, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic and endometrial cancers. HER2 regulates signaling through several pathways (Ras/Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase-B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathways) associated with cell survival and proliferation. HER2 overexpressed and/or gene amplified tumors are generally regarded as biologically aggressive neoplasms. In breast, cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancer, there have been several studies linking the amplification of the c-erbB2 gene with chemo-resistance and overall poor survival. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies targeting HER2 holds promise for patients harboring these aggressive neoplasms. Trastuzumab combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy agents or conjugated with radioactive isotopes is currently being investigated in clinical trials of several tumor types.

Context.-In the era of targeted cancer therapy, there is growing interest in developing novel therapeutic strategies against endometrial carcinoma, especially its most biologically aggressive variant, serous adenocarcinoma. Several publications have demonstrated that a significant proportion of uterine serous carcinomas show HER2 overexpression and/or amplification, suggesting that HER2 may be a promising therapeutic target. Case reports have already shown clinical response to trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 antibody against HER2, and patients are currently being enrolled in a multi-institutional prospective randomized trial to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of trastuzumab.Objective.-To review current data on HER2 testing and targeted therapy against HER2/neu in endometrial carcinoma. Data Sources.-Review of the literature and personal experience of the authors.Conclusions.-Parallel to the clinical studies, there is a need to develop standardized criteria for HER2 testing in endometrial carcinoma that reflect the unique biological and pathogenetic features of these tumors and correlate with clinical response to therapy. This article presents a comprehensive review of the current state of HER2-based therapy and HER2 testing in endometrial carcinoma.

Purpose: Uterine-serous-carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive variant of endometrial cancer. On the basis of preliminary results of a multicenter, randomized phase II trial, trastuzumab (T), a humanized-mAb targeting Her2/Neu, in combination with carboplatin/ paclitaxel (C/P), is recognized as an alternative in treating advanced/ recurrent HER2/Neu-positive USC. We report the updated survival analysis of NCT01367002.Patients and Methods: Eligible patients had stage III to IV or recurrent disease. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive C/P for six cycles AE T followed by maintenance T until progression or toxicity. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary endpoint; overall survival (OS) and toxicity were secondary endpoints.Results: Sixty-one patients were randomized. After a medianfollow-up of 25.9 months, 43 progressions and 38 deaths occurred among 58 evaluable patients. Updated median-PFS continued to favor the T-arm, with medians of 8.0 months versus 12.9 months in the control and T-arms (HR ¼ 0.46; 90% CI, 0.28-0.76; P ¼ 0.005). Median-PFS was 9.3 months versus 17.7 months among 41 patients with stage III to IV disease undergoing primary treatment (HR ¼ 0.44; 90% CI, 0.23-0.83; P ¼ 0.015), and 7.0 months versus 9.2 months among 17 patients with recurrent disease (HR ¼ 0.12; 90% CI, 0.03-0.48; P ¼ 0.004). OS was higher in the T compared with the control arm, with medians of 29.6 months versus 24.4 months (HR ¼ 0.58; 90% CI, 0.34-0.99; P ¼ 0.046). The benefit was most notable in those with stage III to IV disease, with survival median not reached in the T-arm versus 24.4 months in the control arm (HR ¼ 0.49; 90% CI, 0.25-0.97; P ¼ 0.041). Toxicity was not different between arms.Conclusions: Addition of T to C/P increased PFS and OS in women with advanced/recurrent HER2/Neu-positive USC, with the greatest benefit seen for the treatment of stage III to IV disease.

Ascites refers to the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum resulting from an underlying pathology, such as metastatic cancer. Among all cancers, advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer is most frequently associated with the production of malignant ascites and is the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies. Despite decades of evidence showing that the accumulation of peritoneal fluid portends the poorest outcomes for cancer patients, the role of malignant ascites in promoting metastasis and therapy resistance remains poorly understood. This review summarizes the current understanding of malignant ascites, with a focus on ovarian cancer. The first section provides an overview of heterogeneity in ovarian cancer and the pathophysiology of malignant ascites. Next, analytical methods used to characterize the cellular and acellular components of malignant ascites, as well the role of these components in modulating cell biology, are discussed. The review then provides a perspective on the pressures and forces that tumors are subjected to in the presence of malignant ascites and the impact of physical stress on therapy resistance. Treatment options for malignant ascites, including surgical, pharmacological and photochemical interventions are then discussed to highlight challenges and opportunities at the interface of drug discovery, device development and physical sciences in oncology.

PFDs are prevalent in gynecologic cancer survivors and this is an important area of clinical concern and future research.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Gynecologic Cancers Keywords Ovarian cancer I Immunotherapy I Immune checkpoint inhibitors I Cancer vaccine I Adoptive immunotherapy I Nivolumab I Ipilimumab I Pembrolizumab I Avelumab I Atezolizumab I PARP inhibitors I BRCA 1/2 mutation I Bevacizumab I Anti-angiogenic I NY-ESO I MAGE I p53 I Mirvetuximab soravtansine I Folate receptor alpha I Folate-binding protein I TILS I CAR-T cells I NK cells I T cells I HER2 I Mesothelin Opinion statementThe rise of immunotherapy is the greatest advance in oncology to occur over the last several years, but applications in gynecologic malignancies lag behind other tumors. The term "immunotherapy" envelops monoclonal antibodies as receptor mediators, including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI), cancer vaccines, and adoptive immunotherapies alone or in combination with other therapeutic approaches. The purpose of this review is to summarize the status of immunotherapy trials in ovarian cancer and to specifically highlight data published in the last 1-2 years.