On May 19, 2002, researchers from the National Cancer Institute reported that the molecularly targeted drug bevacizumab slowed tumor growth in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer in adults.

Tumor growth slowed considerably in trial patients who were given a high dose of bevacizumab. The time it took for the cancer to show measurable growth was two and a half times longer in these patients compared to those who did not receive the drug (approximately five vs. two months).