Update on antiangiogenic treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that specifically inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor, and is the first antiangiogenic agent to be approved for first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Evidence from two large phase III trials demonstrates that bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy improves outcomes for patients with non-squamous NSCLC. In patients with adenocarcinoma without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, a median overall survival of 18.0 months is achieved. Several post-registration phase IV studies have confirmed bevacizumab's efficacy and tolerability profile and have clarified the eligibility criteria. Clinical research is still ongoing to define the role of bevacizumab in different settings, such as single-agent bevacizumab for continuation maintenance therapy in advanced disease, treatment beyond disease progression, adjuvant therapy in early-stage NSCLC, or bevacizumab in combination with other targeted agents. A number of antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have also been investigated in phase II and III trials. None of these drugs has proven significant clinical benefit in unselected patient populations. This article reviews the extensive information from randomized trials and large observational studies for bevacizumab in advanced NSCLC, and shortly describes the current clinical development of antiangiogenic monoclonal antibodies, TKIs and related compounds.