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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 28, 2014; 20(20): 6081-6091
Published online May 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6081
Published online May 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i20.6081
Bevacizumab in the pre-operative treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer: A systematic review
Lorenzo Fornaro, Virginia Rotella, Editta Baldini, Division of Medical Oncology, Azienda USL2 Lucca, 55100 Lucca, Italy
Chiara Caparello, Caterina Vivaldi, Gianna Musettini, Alfredo Falcone, Gianluca Masi, Division of Medical Oncology 2, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Author contributions: Fornaro L was responsible for manuscript design, review of the literature, data analysis and interpretation and manuscript writing; Caparello C, Vivaldi C, Rotella V and Musettini G performed research, analyzed the data and wrote the paper; Falcone A, Baldini E and Masi G contributed to data analysis and interpretation and manuscript writing.
Correspondence to: Dr. Lorenzo Fornaro, Division of Medical Oncology, Azienda USL2 Lucca, Via dell’Ospedale 1, 55100 Lucca, Italy. lorenzo.fornaro@gmail.com
Telephone: +39-583-970161 Fax: +39-583-449545
Received: October 29, 2013
Revised: January 18, 2014
Accepted: February 26, 2014
Published online: May 28, 2014
Revised: January 18, 2014
Accepted: February 26, 2014
Published online: May 28, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Pre-operative treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer is a challenging issue in gastrointestinal oncology. Integrating an antiangiogenic agent such as bevacizumab into neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy protocols is a promising approach. We review the different strategies currently under evaluation in order to complement bevacizumab within a multimodality approach for locally advanced rectal cancer patients.