title: Bevacizumab for the treatment of cervical cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women. Early stages and locally advanced cervical cancer are currently treated respectively with surgery and chemoradiation with good prognosis. Persistent, recurrent and metastatic cervical cancers have a poor prognosis. Angiogenesis has been identified as a crucial factor for cervical cancer growth. Recently, research has increasingly focused on the development of targeted therapies, such as anti-angiogenic drugs. Amongst such drugs, bevacizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody has been the subject of extensive investigation, including its use in cervical cancer. This was recently approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this review is to discuss the role of bevacizumab in both locally advanced and metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer and to analyze the studies that have led to the approval of bevacizumab in cervical cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of bevacizumab in combination with other chemotherapies in cervical cancer has been proven safe and effective, with a significant improvement in overall survival of patients with advanced cervical cancer. Combination therapy using bevacizumab has been demonstrated to increase toxicity rates but it does not impair patient's quality of life.
authors.affiliation: a Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.|b Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Nicolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bizzarri
authors.affiliation: a Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.|b Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ghirardi
authors.affiliation: c Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alessandri
authors.affiliation: a Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.|b Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Venturini
authors.affiliation: a Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.|b Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valenzano Menada
authors.affiliation: d Northern Gynaecological Oncology Centre , Queen Elizabeth Hospital , Gateshead , UK.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rundle
authors.affiliation: a Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.|b Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Leone Roberti Maggiore
authors.affiliation: a Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST , Genoa , Italy.|b Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrero
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000068258:Bevacizumab
keywords: angiogenesis; bevacizumab; cervical cancer; efficacy; pharmacokinetics; recurrent cervical cancer; toxicity