Kathleen Essel, MD, fellow, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, discusses adverse events (AEs) with bevacizumab (Avastin) in ovarian cancer.

In a study on the long-term use of bevacizumab in patients with ovarian cancer, investigators aimed to characterize the AEs. Essel says that the AEs investigators were the most concerned about prior to the study were cardiovascular events and hypertension. However, Essel says that patients who did not experience an increase in blood pressure initially did not experience it subsequently.

The data provides comfort in the decision to put a patient on long-term bevacizumab, Essel says. If a patient with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer is given chemotherapy based off data from the GOG213 or OCEANS trials and does well, then physicians can feel confident that additional AEs will not come up with continued use of bevacizumab.

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Kathleen Essel, MD, fellow, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, discusses adverse events with bevacizumab (Avastin) in ovarian cancer.
 

Dr. Essel Discusses Adverse Events of Bevacizumab in Ovarian Cancer

Kathleen Essel, MD, fellow, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, discusses a study on the effects of long-term bevacizumab (Avastin) use in patients with ovarian cancer.

The antiangiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab has shown benefit as a maintenance therapy, and its indication was expanded for use in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent disease as part of a combination regimen with chemotherapy followed by continued use of the angiogenesis inhibitor in December 2016.

The acute side effects of bevacizumab are well characterized, says Essel, but with the findings of the GOG-0213 and OCEANS studies, there is not much data on the long-term adverse events. GOG-0213 combined carboplatin with paclitaxel and bevacizumab, and the OCEANS study used carboplatin with gemcitabine and bevacizumab. Some of the short-term side effects observed in these studies were fatigue, neuropathy, hair loss, nausea, and vomiting. Currently, investigators are aiming to characterize the side effects of long-term bevacizumab use in patients with ovarian cancer in a phase I study.

Kathleen Essel, MD

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Dr. Essel Discusses Adverse Events of Bevacizumab in Ovarian Cancer

Dr. Essel Discusses Long-Term Bevacizumab in Ovarian Cancer