[Lani]

unfortunately it is progression free survival it improves, not overall survival
So theoretically (remember I have no qualifications here, just read a lot) perhaps a combination of targetted agents might do better. Worth asking)(?). Please notice--this study looks at the combination as the INITIAL treatment for metastatic breast cancer (not one after many others):

N Engl J Med. 2007 Dec 27;357(26):2666-2676.
Paclitaxel plus Bevacizumab versus Paclitaxel Alone for Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Miller K, Wang M, Gralow J, Dickler M, Cobleigh M, Perez EA, Shenkier T, Cella D, Davidson NE.
From Indiana University Cancer Center, Indianapolis (K.M.); Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Boston (M.W.); Puget Sound Oncology Consortium, Seattle (J.G.); Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York (M.D.); Rush–Presbyterian–St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago (M.C.); Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL (E.A.P.); British Columbia Cancer Agency–Vancouver Cancer Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada (T.S.); Evanston Northwestern Healthcare and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University — both in Evanston, IL (D.C.); and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore (N.E.D.).
BACKGROUND: In an open-label, randomized, phase 3 trial, we compared the efficacy and safety of paclitaxel with that of paclitaxel plus bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, as initial treatment for metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients to receive 90 mg of paclitaxel per square meter of body-surface area on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks, either alone or with 10 mg of bevacizumab per kilogram of body weight on days 1 and 15. The primary end point was progression-free survival; overall survival was a secondary end point. RESULTS: From December 2001 through May 2004, a total of 722 patients were enrolled. Paclitaxel plus bevacizumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival as compared with paclitaxel alone (median, 11.8 vs. 5.9 months; hazard ratio for progression, 0.60; P<0.001) and increased the objective response rate (36.9% vs. 21.2%, P<0.001). The overall survival rate, however, was similar in the two groups (median, 26.7 vs. 25.2 months; hazard ratio, 0.88; P=0.16). Grade 3 or 4 hypertension (14.8% vs. 0.0%, P<0.001), proteinuria (3.6% vs. 0.0%, P<0.001), headache (2.2% vs. 0.0%, P=0.008), and cerebrovascular ischemia (1.9% vs. 0.0%, P=0.02) were more frequent in patients receiving paclitaxel plus bevacizumab. Infection was more common in patients receiving paclitaxel plus bevacizumab (9.3% vs. 2.9%, P<0.001), but febrile neutropenia was uncommon (<1% overall). CONCLUSIONS: Initial therapy of metastatic breast cancer with paclitaxel plus bevacizumab prolongs progression-free survival, but not overall survival, as compared with paclitaxel alone. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00028990.) Copyright 2007 Massachusetts Medical Society.
PMID: 18160686 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]