Development of Antibody–Drug Conjugates for Malignancies of the Uterine Corpus: A Review

Abstract

Despite recent advances in cancer treatment, the prognosis for uterine malignancies (carcinoma and sarcoma) requires further improvement. Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as a novel class of anti-cancer therapeutic agents, and multiple ADCs have been approved for other types of cancer. In 2024, trastuzumab deruxtecan received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for cancer types and became the first ADC approved for the treatment of uterine malignancies. Many ADCs are currently being investigated in uterine malignancies, and therefore, there is a need to gain a deeper understanding of ADCs. In this article, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the advancements in ADCs. The contents of this article include the structure and mechanism of action, an analysis of recent clinical trials, and expected future clinical questions. This article also focuses on uterine sarcoma, which is not often highlighted as a target for ADC treatment.

Keywords

• endometrial carcinoma
• uterine carcinosarcoma
• uterine sarcoma
• antibody–drug conjugate
• HER2
• TROP2