Novel approaches to advanced breast cancer: Bevacizumab and lapatinib

Abstract

New biological therapies continue to emerge in breast cancer. Recent advances with anti-angiogenesis therapies and anti-HER2 therapies highlight the next generation of treatments that will be entering clinical practice. Important questions regarding these targeted treatments remain, however. There are uncertainties as to how best to integrate new drugs into existing treatment algorithms, whether to use monotherapy or combination therapy with chemotherapy, and how to manage novel side effects seen with these agents. This review highlights recent advances with the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody, bevacizumab, and the dual-kinase inhibitor, lapatinib, in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. © Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.