Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecological malignancy. Precision treatments are crucial for improving patient survival. This research explored the potential anti-tumor effects of combining inetetamab and atezolizumab for HER2+ EOC patients. The expressions of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in EOC cells were evaluated. EOC cell-derived subcutaneous and peritoneal dissemination mouse models were used to evaluate the anti-tumor effects of inetetamab, with or without atezolizumab. The correlations between the expressions of HER2 and PD-L1 as well as the infiltration of T cells in tumors from patients and mice were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Inetetamab suppressed the growth of HER2+ tumors in mouse models. HER2 overexpression increased PD-L1 levels in EOC cells. The expression level of HER2 is positively related to that of PD-L1 in the tumors of EOC patients as well as the infiltration of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The combination of inetetamab and atezolizumab impeded the growth of HER2+ EOC tumors in vivo and induced a long-term anti-tumor effect with the elevated infiltration of CD103+CD8+ cells. These findings suggest that the combination of inetetamab and atezolizumab could be a promising precision treatment strategy for HER2+ EOC patients.