Bevacizumab in Metastatic, Recurrent, or Persistent Cervical Cancer: The BC Cancer Experience

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of angiogenesis inhibitors used to treat cervical cancer: current and future

INTRODUCTION

The treatment of advanced cervical cancer is continuously developing. There is a critical need to explore new treatment options to improve cure rates and make treatment more affordable. Despite efforts in prevention, cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer worldwide in terms of both incidence and mortality.

AREAS COVERED

This article offers an updated and critical analysis of angiogenesis inhibitors used in the treatment of advanced cervical cancer. It should be noted that this is not a systematic review.

EXPERT OPINION

Bevacizumab is currently the primary antiangiogenic agent used alongside chemotherapy and has become the standard of care for advanced cervical cancer. However, there are still uncertainties regarding the molecular mechanisms and associations in cervical cancer that could help in optimizing the use of Bevacizumab. Factors such as cost, toxicity, and methodological issues in the GOG-240 trial must be considered.

Budget impact analysis of bevacizumab biosimilars for cancer treatment in adult patients in Spain

OBJECTIVE

To assess the economic impact of introducing biosimilars of bevacizumab for the management of cancer patients receiving systemic bevacizumab in the National Health System (SNHS) of Spain.

METHODS

A 3-year budget impact analysis model was adapted to estimate the cost of introducing biosimilars of bevacizumab in the SNHS for the adult population who were candidates to receive treatment with bevacizumab. Values for the estimation of the population were obtained from the literature and were validated by an expert panel. In this analysis only pharmaceutical costs (€, year 2021) obtained from official databases were considered. A sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the robustness of the model.

RESULTS

The introduction of bevacizumab biosimilars would generate an annual cost saving of €11 558 268 (-5.1%) for the first year with a penetration share of biosimilars from 30.0%, €29 126 373 (-8.5%) for the second year with a share of 50.0% and €52 361 778 (-13.6%) for the third year with a share of 80.0%. The total pharmaceutical costs of the scenario without biosimilars are €227 033 352 for the first year, €342 663 209 for the second year and €385 013 076 for the third year. In contrast, the pharmaceutical costs of the scenario with bevacizumab biosimilars are €215 475 084, €313 536 836 and €332 651 297 for years 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of biosimilars in the Spanish Health System would generate saving costs in the pharmacological budget to boost biological drugs from the first year.

Real-world Efficacy Data on Anti-Angiogenic Drugs in Recurrent Small Cell Cervical Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

Small cell carcinoma of the cervix (SCCC) is rare but extremely aggressive and resistant to current therapies. We herein evaluate the efficacy of bevacizumab, apatinib, and anlotinib in recurrent/metastatic SCCC patients in a real-world setting.

METHODS

Recurrent/metastatic SCCC patients were recruited between January 2013 and July 2020. Baseline characteristics were extracted from medical records, and patients were divided into an anti-angiogenic group and non-anti-angiogenic group. The efficacy of treatments was determined using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed for survival analysis.

RESULTS

Sixteen patients received anti-angiogenic drugs after tumor recurrence/metastasis; of them, 10 cases received them as first-line treatment, 5 cases as second-line treatment, and 1 case as fourth-line treatment. Another 23 patients received traditional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The use of anti-angiogenic drugs in first-line treatment significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) compared to the controls, with a median PFS of 8 months (2-20 months) and 3 months (1-10 months), respectively (P = .025). This trend was also notable in patients who started anti-angiogenic treatment after the second-line recurrence/metastasis. However, there was no benefits for overall survival (OS) in either the 10 first-line cases or all 16 cases (P = .499 and .31, respectively). Both bevacizumab and small molecule drugs (apatinib and anlotinib) presented similar efficacy in SCCC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

At present, this is the largest cohort study that provides real-world data, showing that anti-angiogenic regimens could significantly prolong PFS in recurrent/metastatic SCCC. Aside from bevacizumab, the novel oral small molecule drugs provide more choices with similar efficacy. These findings warrant further validation in well-designed future studies.

Synergistic therapeutic effect of low-dose bevacizumab with cisplatin-based chemotherapy for advanced or recurrent cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CBC) is highly efficacious for advanced cervical cancer; its efficacy can be enhanced by combining with 15 mg/kg (standard dose) bevacizumab (BEV). However, this standard dose is associated with various adverse events (AEs). Therefore, in this retrospective study, we analyzed the survival outcomes and AEs in patients with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer treated with CBC in combination with BEV 7.5 mg/kg.

METHODS

Registered patient data were retrieved between October 2014 and September 2019, and 64 patients with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer treated with CBC + BEV (n = 21) or CBC alone (n = 43) were analyzed. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS); the secondary endpoints were the frequency and severity of AEs. The Cox proportional-hazards model was applied to explore prognostic factors associated with PFS and OS.

RESULTS

The 1-, 2-, and 3-year PFS rates (95% CI) were 36.24% (22.0-50.5), 20.7% (9.8-34.2), and 17.7% (7.7-31.1) for the CBC group; and 71.4% (47.1-86.0), 51.0% (27.9-70.1), and 51.0% (27.9-70.1) for the CBC + BEV group, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 62.6% (46.4-75.18), 32.4% (18.8-46.9), and 23.2% (11.2-37.6) for the CBC group; and 85.7% (61.9-95.1), 66.6% (42.5-82.5), and 55.5% (27.1-76.7) for the CBC + BEV group, respectively. The CBC + BEV group presented higher PFS and OS rates, p = 0.003 and p = 0.005, respectively. Proteinuria (6 vs 9, p = 0.025) and hypertension (0 vs 10, p < 0.001) were less common, but anemia was more common in the CBC group (35 vs 11, p = 0.021).

CONCLUSION

Overall, CBC + BEV significantly improved the PFS and OS compared with CBC alone. CBC + BEV also prevents severe AEs and hence is an efficacious and safe therapeutic option.

Real-World Efficacy and Safety of Bevacizumab in the First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Cervical Cancer: A Cohort Study in the Total Population of Croatian Patients

BACKGROUND

Although today it is almost preventable, cervical cancer still represents a significant cancer burden, especially in some developing parts of the world. Since the introduction of bevacizumab in the first-line treatment of metastatic disease, improvements of the outcomes were noted. However, results from randomized controlled trials are often hard to recreate in the real-world setting.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the real-world efficacy and safety of bevacizumab as a first-line treatment of advanced cervical cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study on the total population of Croatian patients diagnosed with metastatic cervical cancer from 2016 to 2019 who were treated with bevacizumab in combination with cisplatin and paclitaxel (TCB) in the first line. The comparison group was the consecutive sample of patients treated with chemotherapy alone. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, incidence of adverse events, and the proportion of treatment discontinuation.

RESULTS

We enrolled 67 patients treated with TCB and a control group of 62 patients treated with chemotherapy alone. The TCB cohort had significantly longer unadjusted OS with a median of 27.0 (95% CI 18.5; not calculable) months, compared to 15.5 (10.7; 30.1) months in the chemotherapy-alone cohort. Adjusted OS was not significantly different. PFS was significantly longer for the TCB cohort, with a median of 10.6 (95% CI 8.5; 15.4) months, than for the chemotherapy-alone cohort, with a median of 5.4 (95% CI 3.9; 9.1) months, even after adjustment for baseline covariates (HRadjusted = 0.60; 95% CI 0.39; 0.94; p=0.027; false discovery rate <5%).

CONCLUSIONS

In a real-world setting, TCB as a first-line treatment of metastatic cervical cancer was associated with longer PFS, better objective disease control rate, and acceptable toxicity profile in comparison to chemotherapy alone. These results may indicate its utility and potential applicability in other parts of the developing world.

Pharmacological Treatment of Patients with Metastatic, Recurrent or Persistent Cervical Cancer Not Amenable by Surgery or Radiotherapy: State of Art and Perspectives of Clinical Research

Cervical cancer patients with distant or loco-regional recurrences not amenable by surgery or radiotherapy have limited treatment options, and their 5-year overall survival (OS) rates range from 5% to 16%. The purpose of this paper is to assess the results obtained with chemotherapy and biological agents in this clinical setting. Several phase II trials of different cisplatin (CDDP)-based doublets and a phase III randomized trial showing a trend in response rate, progression-free survival, and OS in favor of CDDP + paclitaxel (PTX) compared with other CDDP-based doublets have been reviewed. The factors predictive of response to chemotherapy as well as the benefits and risks of the addition of bevacizumab to CDDP + PTX have been analyzed. The FDA has recently approved pembrolizumab for patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer in progression on or after chemotherapy whose tumors were PD-L1 positive. Interesting perspectives of clinical research are represented by the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or in addition to chemotherapy, whereas PARP inhibitors and PI3K inhibitors are still at the basic research phase, but promising.

Effect of addition of bevacizumab to chemoradiotherapy in newly diagnosed stage IVB cervical cancer: a single institution experience in Korea

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of chemoradiotherapy with or without bevacizumab in patients with newly diagnosed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IVB cervical cancer.

METHODS

41 patients with stage IVB cervical cancer who underwent chemoradiotherapy between August 2015 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. This study included 11 patients who received bevacizumab before or after radiotherapy (group A) and 30 patients who received conventional chemoradiotherapy without bevacizumab (group B). We excluded the following patients: those with dual primary cancers; those whose pathologic diagnosis was neither squamous cell carcinoma nor adenocarcinoma; those who did not undergo radiotherapy; or those from whom follow-up data could not be collected. We analyzed the treatment responses, toxicities, progression-free survival, and overall survival rates.

RESULTS

A total of 41 patients were included in the analysis. The median follow-up was 19 months (range 3-108). The response rates at 3 months after treatment were 90.9% in group A and 83.3% in group B (p=0.54). After completing all treatments, the complete response rates were 81.8% in group A and 47% in group B (p=0.04). Grade ≥3 gastrointestinal toxicities, including bleeding, fistula, perforation, and obstruction, were more frequent in group A (54.5%) than in group B (6.7%) (p=0.003). The 12 month progression-free survival and overall survival rates were similar in both arms (12 month progression-free survival: 45.5% vs 46.7%, respectively, p=0.22; 12 month overall survival: 81.8% vs 72.9%, respectively, p=0.57). Patients with node-only metastasis had better 12 month progression-free survival in group B than in group A (59.1% vs 42.9%, respectively, p=0.04). However, the responses to both treatments did not differ in patients with organ metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Bevacizumab for stage IVB cervical cancer is associated with higher complete response rates. However, patients treated with bevacizumab experienced more bowel toxicities. Bevacizumab did not improve progression-free survival among patients with node-only metastasis.

Bevacizumab Efficacy and Recurrence Pattern of Persistent and Metastatic Cervical Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of bevacizumab combined with cisplatin and paclitaxel for persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective review of medical records of patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer.

RESULTS

Of the 52 patients, 33 (63.5%), 7 (13.5%) and 12 (23.1%) had recurrent, persistent and metastatic disease, respectively. Twenty-seven patients (51.9%) had prior platinum exposure. Possible bevacizumab-related serious adverse events included hypertension (n=3/52, 5.8%), febrile neutropenia (n=4/52, 7.7%) and fistula (n=2/52, 3.8%). Thirty-two recurrences (61.5%) and 20 deaths (38.5%) were noted. Median progression-free and overall survival was 9.8 months and 15.3 months, respectively. Recurrence included loco-regional (17/32, 59.4%), nodal (11/32, 34.4%), distant site (10/32, 31.3%) and peritoneal seeding (6/32, 18.8%).

CONCLUSION

Bevacizumab with cisplatin and paclitaxel for treating persistent, recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer is feasible and well tolerated. Loco-regional recurrence was most frequent. Overall survival was worse with recurrence at >2 sites or distant metastases.