Trastuzumab for Her2/neu-positive metastatic salivary gland carcinoma: Case report and review of the literature

• Main Authors: Belal Firwana, Bassel Atassi, Rim Hasan, Nour Hasan, Ammar Sukari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2012-07-01
• Series: Avicenna Journal of Medicine
• Subjects: metastasis; salivary gland tumor; salivary glands; trastuzumab
• Online Access: http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/2231-0770.102282

Salivary gland carcinomas metastasize to distant organs in 20% of salivary gland malignancies. Applying immunohistochemistry (IHC) measures, salivary gland tumors showed a wide range of oncogene markers expression, including the human epidermoid receptor 2 (Her2/neu), which could be targeted with monoclonal antibody. Treating salivary gland tumors, which have Her2/neu over-expression, with trastuzumab was reported in a few case reports. We report a 61-year-old Caucasian male, with a history of salivary gland tumor, who presented after 20 years of complete surgical resection with kidney mass. He was treated as primary renal cell carcinoma, unclassified, with nephrectomy and adjuvant clinical trail where he received placebo. Subsequently, he developed multiple hepatic lesions and retroperitoneal mesenteric lymphadenopathy; CT-guided biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma with Her2/neu, 3+ by IHC. The patient was treated successfully with trastuzumab with near-complete response.