O'Malley DM, Calo CA
PURPOSE OF REVIEW : This article provides a comprehensive review of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) under investigation in gynecologic cancers. The structure and function of ADCs are reviewed with a focus on clinical benefit as well as toxicity profiles.
RECENT FINDINGS : Several ADCs with various target antigens have been investigated in ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer. ADCs have consistently demonstrated favorable safety/tolerability profiles both as monotherapy and in combination therapy. In ovarian cancer, response rates have ranged from 9 to 46% for monotherapy with response rates as high as 83% in combination therapy. In patients with cervical cancer with progressive disease despite doublet therapy and bevacizumab, response rates as high as 24% have been observed. ADCs represent a rapidly evolving field of targeted therapy which have demonstrated notable clinical benefit both as monotherapy but also in combination therapy with an overall favorable toxicity profile. With continued refinement of the target biomarkers utilized, improved clinical benefit is likely to be observed.