Adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy, followed by bevacizumab as maintenance therapy, can significantly prolong progression-free survival in women with advanced ovarian cancer.
The study consisted of 1873 women with newly diagnosed stage III (macroscopic residual disease) or stage IV ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer, who were enrolled from September 2005 to June 2009.
Patients were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups: 1) paclitaxel plus carboplatin; 2) paclitaxel plus carboplatin and concurrent bevacizumab; and 3) paclitaxel plus carboplatin plus concurrent bevacizumab plus maintenance bevacizumab.
Study Results
There was no difference in progression-free survival between the 1st two groups (10.3 vs. 11.2 months for pacliataxel plus carboplatin and paclitaxel plus carboplatin and concurrent bevacizumab, respectively).
However, the addition of bevacizumab as maintenance therapy to bevacizumab plus chemotherapy significantly extended progression-free survival (14.1 vs 10.3 months or a 28% reduction in cancer progression) when compared with paclitaxel plus carboplatin.
Adverse Events
Grade 3/4 hypertension was highest in the group receiving chemotherapy, concurrent and maintenance bevacizumab (10%), compared with 1.6% in the group receiving chemotherapy alone and 5.4% in the group receiving chemotherapy and concurrent bevacizumab. The incidence of gastrointestinal perforation and fistula were low and were below 3% in all treatment groups.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 Annual Meeting: Abstract LBA1. Presented June 6, 2010.
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