Adverse events in bevacizumab and chemotherapy: patient management

Use of bevacizumab as a first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

During clinical practice, it can be challenging, given the lack of response biomarkers, to identify the patients with metastatic breast cancer (mbca) who would benefit most from the addition of bevacizumab to first-line standard chemotherapy. The aim of the present review was to summarize the relevant scientific evidence and to discuss the experience of a group of experts in using bevacizumab to treat mbca.

METHODS

A panel of 17 Spanish oncology experts met to discuss the literature and their experience in the use of bevacizumab as first-line treatment for mbca. During the meeting, discussions focused on three main issues: the profile of the patients who could benefit most from bevacizumab, the optimal bevacizumab treatment duration, and the safety profile of bevacizumab.

RESULTS

The subset of mbca patients who would benefit the most from the addition of bevacizumab to first-line standard chemotherapy are those with clinically defined aggressive disease. Treatment with bevacizumab should be maintained until disease progression or the appearance of unacceptable toxicity. In the mbca setting, the toxicity profile of bevacizumab is well known and can be managed in clinical practice after adequate training.

CONCLUSIONS

This expert group recommends administering bevacizumab as first-line treatment in patients with clinically aggressive disease.

Bevacizumab and wound-healing complications: mechanisms of action, clinical evidence, and management recommendations for the plastic surgeon

Reflecting the growing understanding of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cancer survival and growth, the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) is increasingly used to treat advanced malignancy. However, because VEGF also mediates proper wound healing, bevacizumab may lead to potentially severe wound-healing complications (WHCs). Because bevacizumab expands in use, the plastic surgeon will increasingly be entrusted to manage such WHCs successfully. Therefore, this review summarizes the pathophysiological evidence, systematically reviews the available clinical evidence, and provides management guidelines for bevacizumab-related WHCs. Bevacizumab produces WHCs by disrupting vasodilation, increased vascular permeability, and angiogenesis. Current clinical evidence suggests that bevacizumab may increase WHC risk. This risk seems higher with neoadjuvant than adjuvant bevacizumab use and may be decreased by extending the bevacizumab-surgery interval. Further research is required to quantify the exact bevacizumab-related WHC incidence and optimize the bevacizumab-surgery interval. We propose management guidelines for bevacizumab-related WHCs by indication that should be integrated with clinical judgment, input from the oncology team, and patient wishes when making therapeutic decisions.

Diverticular Bleeding of the Colon during Combination Chemotherapy with Bevacizumab and Paclitaxel for Recurrent Breast Cancer

Background

Bevacizumab has been increasingly used in combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel for treatment of metastatic or recurrent breast cancer. The aim of this report is to underline possible risks associated with the new combination chemotherapy.

Case Presentation

A 39-year-old woman with recurrent breast cancer was treated with bevacizumab and paclitaxel. Positron emission tomography revealed breast cancer metastasis to the left supraclavicular lymph nodes and right axillary lymph nodes, with no distant metastasis.

Results

After the third cycle of bevacizumab and paclitaxel, the patient developed a bloody bowel discharge. Emergent colonoscopy demonstrated diverticular bleeding on one of the multiple diverticula in the ascending colon. The bleeding point was successfully clipped colonoscopically.

Conclusion

The factors for diverticular bleeding are believed to be non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, constipation, and bevacizumab. We recommend reviewing anamneses for diverticulitis, multiple prior abdominal surgeries, peritoneal carcinomatosis, and regular use of certain drugs.

Noncardiac vascular toxicities of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors in advanced cancer: a review

The introduction of molecularly targeted anticancer therapies has brought the promise of longer survival times for select patients with cancers previously considered untreatable. However, it has also brought new toxicities that require understanding and management, sometimes for long periods of time. Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors are associated with a broad range of adverse effects, with vascular toxicity being particularly serious. This review focuses on the current understanding of the pathophysiology and mechanisms of macrovascular toxicities (hypertension, hemorrhage, and thromboembolism), their incidence and severity, the current clinical management, and implications in the advanced cancer setting. Movement of these agents into the early disease setting will alter the impact of these toxicities. Search Strategy and Selection Criteria. Information for this review was collected by searching PubMed/Medline and American Society of Clinical Oncology abstract databases. The medical subject heading terms used included toxicity, hypertension, thromboembolism, hemorrhage, intestinal perforation, risk factors, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism, combined with free text search terms including, but not limited to, VEGF inhibitor*, bevacizumab, sunitinib, and sorafenib. Articles published in English before March 2010 were included, in addition to information from case reports and pharmaceutical agent package inserts.