Targeted treatment in cervical cancer
Many different conjugated antibody-cytotoxin complexes (ADCs) have recently been developed to treat cancer. These drugs target cancer-specific proteins on cancer cells and can therefore deliver chemotherapy specifically to the cancer cells, while sparing the normal cells in the process. So far, this treatment strategy has been sparsely exploited to treat cervical cancer patients.
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Despite effective implementation of screening and prophylactic vaccination programs, cervical cancer remains the most common global gynaecological malignancy, with around 600,000 cases and 340,00 deaths each year. Even though most cervical cancers are detected at an early stage and have very good survival rates, the rates are poor for patients with high stage or recurrent disease. Tisotumab vedotin (TV) is the only Antibody drug conjugate (ADC) approved for gynecological cancers. TV targets the membrane protein, Tissue factor (TF), and was approved for treatment of cervical cancer patients in the USA in 2021. Several other ADCs are approved for other cancer types, such as breast and urothelial cancer. However, none of them have been introduced for cervical cancer patients. The aim of this project is to assess the prevalence of tissue factor and other target proteins for ADCs in cervical cancer by immunohistochemistry. To pinpoint their clinical relevance, we will perform a genomic and clinicopathological characterization of tumors with protein expression with the overall goal to aid in the implementation of new treatment strategies for cervical cancer patients.
