Research Progress of HER2 in Cervical Carcinoma

Cervical cancer (CC) remains a major gynecological malignancy worldwide, and patients with recurrent, metastatic, or treatment-resistant disease continue to have limited therapeutic options. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a proto-oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase involved in tumorigenesis and progression through gene amplification, activating mutation, and protein overexpression. Although HER2 has been extensively studied and successfully targeted in breast and gastric cancers, its biological and therapeutic significance in CC remains less clearly defined and appears to vary according to histological subtype and molecular context. Current evidence suggests that HER2 alterations are relatively uncommon in unselected CC populations but may be enriched in selected adenocarcinoma subgroups, including gastric-type and other human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent variants. This review synthesizes current evidence regarding the structure, function, expression patterns, prognostic implications, testing criteria, and therapeutic relevance of HER2 in CC. Particular attention is given to HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugates, especially trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), which have emerged as an important recent therapeutic advance and have renewed interest in HER2 as an actionable target in selected patients with HER2-expressing cervical carcinoma. This review further highlights the need for biomarker-driven patient selection, standardized HER2 assessment, and rational integration of HER2-directed strategies into precision treatment for CC.