The VEGF pathway is well-recognized mediator of angiogenesis and tumorigenesis in many cancer types. As a result, multiple therapeutic agents targeting this pathway have been developed and were subsequently registered in multiple tumor types. Interestingly, preclinical studies have demonstrated a close relationship between VEGF and EGFR pathways. Based on this observation, several studies have investigated whether the addition of a VEGF-targeting agent to an EGFR-directed tyrosine kinase would provide clinical benefit in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. In recent years, several large, randomized studies demonstrated that the addition of bevacizumab or ramucirumab to EGFR TKIs substantially improves the progression-free survival (PFS) in this setting. The topline results of these studies will be briefly discussed in this article.
