Standard treatment of
cervical cancer (CC) consists of surgery in the early stages and of chemoradiation in locally advanced disease. Metastatic CC has a poor prognosis and is usually treated with palliative
platinum-based
chemotherapy. Current chemotherapeutic regimens are associated with significant adverse effects and only limited activity, making identification of active and tolerable novel targeted agents a high priority. Angiogenesis is a complex process that plays a crucial role in the development of many types of
cancer. The dominant role of angiogenesis in CC seems to be directly related to human papillomavirus-related inhibition of p53 and stabilization of
hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. Both of these mechanisms are able to increase expression of
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF). Activation of
VEGF promotes endothelial cell proliferation and migration, favoring formation of new blood vessels and increasing permeability of existing blood vessels. Since
bevacizumab, a recombinant humanized
monoclonal antibody binding to all
isoforms of
VEGF, has been demonstrated to significantly improve survival in gynecologic
cancer, some recent clinical research has explored the possibility of using novel
therapies directed toward inhibition of angiogenesis in CC too. Here we review the main results from studies concerning the use of antiangiogenic drugs that are being investigated for the treatment of CC.