New pharmacotherapy options for cervical cancer

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide. Incorporation of chemotherapy to radiation in locally advanced disease and molecular targeted therapy for advanced disease has increased survival; nevertheless, there is room for further improvement. Areas covered: This review aims to discuss major recent advances in the treatment of invasive cervical cancer from randomized Phase III trials and ongoing late-stage developments. Expert opinion: Combination chemotherapy concurrent with radiation plus adjuvant chemotherapy has demonstrated better survival rates as compared to standard cisplatin chemoradiation and ongoing Phase III trials would eventually confirm these findings. Gemcitabine and paclitaxel are the most evaluated agents added to cisplatin chemoradiation and in the adjuvant setting. Further survival gains combining classical cytotoxics will be limited by toxicity, hence, novel antitumor drugs; in particular angiogenesis inhibitors must be evaluated to ...