Cancer Resources > Cancer News > 2008 > January

Bevacizumab combination promising against ovarian cancer

David Douglas

Last Updated: 2008-01-16 16:40:27 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Antiangiogenic therapy with bevacizumab in combination with frequent low-dose (metronomic) oral cyclophosphamide appears to be highly effective in women who have had ovarian cancer recurrence, researchers report in the January 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"We are very excited with the results of our study," lead investigator Dr. Agustin A. Garcia told Reuters Health. "We believe that the combination of bevacizumab and metronomic cyclophosphamide is a very active treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer."

Dr. Garcia of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and colleagues note that the aim of the metronomic approach is to limit toxicity. They studied 70 women with measurable disease who had previously received platinum-containing treatment.

They were treated with bevacizumab 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks and with oral cyclophosphamide 50 mg per day.

At 6 months, the probability of being alive and progression free was 56%, and a partial response was achieved in 17 patients (24%). Median time to progression was 7.2 months and median survival was 16.9 months.

Hypertension, fatigue and pain were the most common side effects. There were three treatment-related deaths, two in patients who developed pulmonary hypertension and the other in a patient with obstruction and gastrointestinal perforation.

The researchers point out that although vascular endothelial growth factor plays an important part in the biology of ovarian cancer, levels of the agent were not associated with outcome.

"Our results support the concept that metronomic chemotherapy has clinical activity, but less toxicity than chemotherapy administered at conventional doses," Dr. Garcia said.

Given these encouraging findings, the researchers conclude that "further study of this combination is warranted."

J Clin Oncol 2008;26:76-82.

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