Objective: We sought to identify effective chemotherapy regimens against uterine serous papillary adenocarcinoma (USPC).
Study design: Six USPC, half of which overexpress HER-2/neu at 3+ level, were evaluated for growth rate and in vitro sensitivity to 14 single-agent chemotherapies and 5 combinations by ChemoFx (Precision Therapeutics Inc, Pittsburgh, PA).
Results: Cell lines overexpressing HER-2/neu showed higher proliferation when compared to low HER-2/neu-expressing cell lines and a lower half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) when exposed to the majority of single-agent chemotherapies. High HER-2/neu expressors were more sensitive to platinum compounds, manifesting a 5.22-fold decrease in carboplatin-IC(50) (P = .005) and a 5.37-fold decrease in cisplatin-IC(50) (P = .02). When all cell lines were analyzed as a group, chemotherapy agents tested demonstrated lower IC(50) when used in combination than as individual agents.
Conclusion: USPC overexpressing HER-2/neu display greater in vitro sensitivity to platinum compounds when compared to low HER-2/neu expressors. Higher proliferative capability rather than increased drug resistance may be responsible for the adverse prognosis associated with HER-2/neu overexpression in USPC.
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