title: Bevacizumab in metastatic breast cancer: when may it be used?
abstract: Tumor angiogenesis, which is necessary for breast cancer growth, invasion and metastases, is regulated by pro-angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that targets VEGF. The addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy has improved progression-free survival in the first- and second-line treatment of patients with advanced-stage breast cancer. In this article we review the clinical trials testing the utility of bevacizumab for the treatment of metastatic disease.
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Shari B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Goldfarb
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hudis
authors.forename: Maura N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Dickler