Targeted therapy with trastuzumab for advanced salivary ductal carcinoma: case report and literature review

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a rare subtype of salivary gland carcinoma and is considered to be a high-grade aggressive tumor with morphological resemblance to ductal carcinoma of the breast. We present a case of a patient who suffered from metastatic SDC that was positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) and attained complete objective response, as seen on PET-CT after combined treatment with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and trastuzumab.