title: Bevacizumab in ovarian cancer: Focus on clinical data and future perspectives.
abstract: The past five years have yielded substantial developments in the management of advanced ovarian cancer. Initial promise shown by anti-angiogenic agents has translated into positive phase III trials in the front-line and recurrent settings. Nevertheless, several questions remain unanswered, including the most appropriate timing for initiation of anti-angiogenic therapy and patient selection for the various treatment approaches. This review article summarises the key results (including final overall survival data), from five pivotal phase III trials of bevacizumab, highlights emerging data with new maintenance strategies and considers unanswered questions and ongoing research to address uncertainties in treatment duration, re-exposure to bevacizumab in bevacizumab-pretreated patients and the potential integration of anti-angiogenic therapy into neoadjuvant treatment regimens.
authors.affiliation: University of Milan Bicocca and European Institute of Oncology, via Ripamonti 435, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: nicoletta.colombo@ieo.it.
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova and Division of Medical Oncology 2, Oncology Institute of Veneto, Padova, Italy. Electronic address: pierfranco.conte@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Pier Franco
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and Gynecology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione G. Pascale - IRCCS, Naples, Italy. Electronic address: s.pignata@istitutotumori.na.it.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pignata
authors.affiliation: Surgical Gynecology, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.raspagliesi@istitutotumori.mi.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raspagliesi
authors.affiliation: Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: giovanni.scambia@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000068258:Bevacizumab
keywords: Anti-angiogenic; Bevacizumab; Front-line; Ovarian cancer; Phase III; Vascular endothelial growth factor