Research progress of antibody-drug conjugates in the treatment of endometrial cancer

As a significant threat to women’s health worldwide, the incidence of endometrial cancer is rising annually, and current treatment options have limited effectiveness for advanced-stage patients. The use of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in the treatment of endometrial cancer shows great potential. ADCs achieve selective killing of tumor cells through the combination of monoclonal antibodies, linkers, and cytotoxic drugs, while reducing damage to normal tissues. ADCs targeting Trop-2, HER2, and FRα have demonstrated notable efficacy in clinical trials, such as Sacituzumab Govitecan (SG) and Trastuzumab Deruxtecan (T-DXd), which have shown high objective response rates in Trop-2 and HER2-positive patients, respectively. Furthermore, the combination of ADCs with other treatment modalities (such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy) further enhances efficacy. However, ADCs still face challenges regarding resistance and safety, and future efforts must focus on optimizing designs and exploring more emerging targets to achieve the goals of precision medicine. This article provides a focused narrative overview of recent advances in ADCs for the treatment of endometrial cancer, with a primary focus on key targets including Trop-2, HER2, FRα, and Nectin-4.