On Aug. 14. 2014, Genentech announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin or paclitaxel and topotecan for the treatment of women with persistent, recurrent or metastatic carcinoma of the cervix.

Women with advanced cervical cancer now had the option of Avastin plus chemotherapy to help them live longer than with chemotherapy alone.

Prior to this approval, chemotherapy was the only approved treatment option for women whose cancer recurred, persisted or spread. Avastin is approved in the U.S. to treat five distinct tumor types.