Curative surgical or ablative therapies are indicated in 30-40% of HCC patients. However, for patients who are not suitable for curative therapies, other locoregional therapies such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), is indicated based on disease burden, liver function and performance status.
HCC is a hypervascular tumour. Tumour angiogenesis is essential for HCC growth, invasion, or metastasis. Tumour expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent stimulator of angiogenesis, is upregulated in HCC. Avastin is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds VEGF to reduce its functional activity. It has been shown to be an effective anticancer drug in other cancers such as colorectal cancer.
The possible benefit of concurrent combination of bevacizumab and TACE as first-line therapy in patients with localized unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma will be investigated.
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