BACKGROUND: The addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy has significant clinical benefits in metastatic colorectal cancer. However, its use is often avoided due to patient condition or disease status. METHODS: Of 228 consecutive patients receiving first-line FOLFOX-based regimens from June 2007 to June 2009, 96 patients (42 %) received FOLFOX alone without bevacizumab. We retrospectively examined the reasons why bevacizumab was not combined with FOLFOX. RESULTS: Among 96 patients for whom the addition of bevacizumab was avoided, 73 patients (76 %) had bevacizumab-related contraindications including hypertension, proteinuria, bleeding, thromboembolic events, wound-healing complications and gastrointestinal perforation. Other avoidance reasons were conditions precluding the use of bevacizumab in 15 patients (16 %), economic problems and anxiety about adverse events in 8 patients (8 %), and unknown reasons in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab-related contraindications were the main reason for drug avoidance, though economic problems and anxiety about rare but serious adverse events were also factors for avoidance of bevacizumab.
BACKGROUND: The addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy has significant clinical benefits in metastatic colorectal cancer. However, its use is often avoided due to patient condition or disease status. METHODS: Of 228 consecutive patients receiving first-line FOLFOX-based regimens from June 2007 to June 2009, 96 patients (42 %) received FOLFOX alone without bevacizumab. We retrospectively examined the reasons why bevacizumab was not combined with FOLFOX. RESULTS: Among 96 patients for whom the addition of bevacizumab was avoided, 73 patients (76 %) had bevacizumab-related contraindications including hypertension, proteinuria, bleeding, thromboembolic events, wound-healing complications and gastrointestinal perforation. Other avoidance reasons were conditions precluding the use of bevacizumab in 15 patients (16 %), economic problems and anxiety about adverse events in 8 patients (8 %), and unknown reasons in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS:Bevacizumab-related contraindications were the main reason for drug avoidance, though economic problems and anxiety about rare but serious adverse events were also factors for avoidance of bevacizumab.
Authors: E Van Cutsem; F Rivera; S Berry; A Kretzschmar; M Michael; M DiBartolomeo; M-A Mazier; J-L Canon; V Georgoulias; M Peeters; J Bridgewater; D Cunningham Journal: Ann Oncol Date: 2009-04-30 Impact factor: 32.976
Authors: Leonard B Saltz; Stephen Clarke; Eduardo Díaz-Rubio; Werner Scheithauer; Arie Figer; Ralph Wong; Sheryl Koski; Mikhail Lichinitser; Tsai-Shen Yang; Fernando Rivera; Felix Couture; Florin Sirzén; Jim Cassidy Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2008-04-20 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Charles S Fuchs; John Marshall; Edith Mitchell; Rafal Wierzbicki; Vinod Ganju; Mark Jeffery; Joseph Schulz; Donald Richards; Raoudha Soufi-Mahjoubi; Benjamin Wang; José Barrueco Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2007-10-20 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Bruce J Giantonio; Paul J Catalano; Neal J Meropol; Peter J O'Dwyer; Edith P Mitchell; Steven R Alberts; Michael A Schwartz; Al B Benson Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2007-04-20 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Mark Kozloff; Marianne Ulcickas Yood; Jordan Berlin; Patrick J Flynn; Fairooz F Kabbinavar; David M Purdie; Mark A Ashby; Wei Dong; Mary M Sugrue; Axel Grothey Journal: Oncologist Date: 2009-09-02