bevacizumab (brand name: Avastin)
(beh-vah-SIH-zoo-mab)
A drug that works by stopping or slowing the formation of new blood vessels that cancer cells need in order to grow. It is a type of targeted therapy.
Along with bevacizumab (brand name: Avastin), other types of targeted therapy medications include Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) and Tykerb (chemical name: lapatinib).
Audio contributed by: Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach