Targeted Agents in Cervical Cancer: Beyond Bevacizumab

Abstract

Cervical cancer constitutes a leading cause of morbidity and cancer deaths in women throughout the world. Approximately two thirds of the patients are diagnosed with locally advanced cervical cancer, showing disappointing survival rates despite correct multidisciplinary management. Metastatic disease implies a poor prognosis itself since diagnosis. Platinum-based chemotherapy has been the backbone treatment of metastatic cervical cancer for years with no major outstanding improvements on survival. The addition of new molecules, such as antiangiogenic agents, dramatically changed the treatment of this disease. Bevacizumab, an antiangiogenic agent that targets vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGF-2), added to standard chemotherapy in cervical cancer showed significant improvement on survival; therefore, the combination of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab is currently the standard frontline treatment in cervical cancer. Other antiangiogenic agents have been tested in this disease with no further development nor approvals. New compounds are currently being under development with promising results in this disease as well as a number of new strategies that could potentially fulfill the unmet need of establishing effective therapeutic approaches in cervical cancer.