Bevacizumab Added to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

The addition of bevacizumab to neoadjuvant combination chemotherapy significantly increased the percentage of patients with a pathological complete response. The effect was stronger in the estrogen-receptor–positive subgroup than in the hormone-receptor–negative subgroup. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become established as a reasonable alternative to adjuvant chemotherapy for operable breast cancer, since it can increase the rates of breast-conserving surgery 1 – 3 and decrease the need for complete axillary lymph-node dissection. 4 – 6 Neoadjuvant chemotherapy also offers the potential for rapidly testing regimens that may improve response rates and therefore may be likely to improve the outcomes in patients. Although alterations in neoadjuvant chemotherapy that increase the rates of pathological complete response may not necessarily improve survival, 5 , 7 the results of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-27 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00002707) of neoadjuvant . . .