Targeted therapy for cervical cancer

Targeted therapy uses drugs to find and attack cancer cells. There are many different types of targeted therapy. Each type targets something in or around the cancer cell that is helping it grow and survive.

Bevacizumab (Avastin®) is a targeted therapy treatment sometimes used to treat cervical cancer. It may be used if cervical cancer:

• is advanced
• has come back after treatment.

It cannot cure the cancer, but it may help to control it for a time.

Bevacizumab works by stopping the cancer from making blood vessels. This means that the cancer does not get the oxygen and nutrients it needs and may shrink or stop growing. The treatment is usually given in combination with chemotherapy drugs.

Bevacizumab is given into a vein as an infusion.

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.