Robert A. Burger, MD, Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Director, Women’s Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the toxicity profile of bevacizumab when used to treat patients with ovarian cancer.

Burger says patients with ovarian cancer tolerate bevacizumab well as a single-agent therapy. While there are no immediately noticeable side effects, some patients can develop muscular and joint manifestations with prolonged treatment.

In phase III trails, Burger says, the rate of clinically significant hypertension, requiring medical management, was in the range of 20%. Burger says patients should be monitored for hypertension.

There is also a 2-5% chance of potentially life-threatening complications, Burger says, including gastrointestinal perforation, stroke, and heart attack. Since the risk is numerically low, one has to weigh the difference between the potential for a serious complication and potential benefit.

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Robert A. Burger, MD, Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Director, Women's Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the toxicity profile of bevacizumab when used to treat patients with ovarian cancer.

Dr. Burger on Bevacizumab Toxicity in Ovarian Cancer

Robert A. Burger, MD, Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Director, Women’s Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the use of bevacizumab in patients with ovarian cancer.

There were two phase II trials of monotherapy bevacizumab that demonstrated significant activity in the recurrent setting of ovarian cancer and nearly equivalent activity in platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive disease. At the same time, Burger says, bevacizumab was approved by the FDA for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, so it was commercially available. When data were initially presented in this space, the use of bevacizumab in the recurrent setting was already fairly widespread.

In fact, Burger says, when phase III trials were initiated for patients with ovarian primary peritoneal and fallopian tube cancer, most patients were receiving bevacizumab in the recurrent disease setting. Burger goes on to say that the data from phase III trials, which showed significant prolongation in progression-free survival, and previous phase II monotherapy trials, were enough to generate interest in the off-label use of bevacizumab in the frontline.

Robert A. Burger, MD, FACOG, FACS, Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, Director, Women's Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the use of bevacizumab in patients with ovarian cancer.

Robert A. Burger, MD

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Dr. Burger on Bevacizumab Toxicity in Ovarian Cancer

Dr. Burger on Bevacizumab in Ovarian Cancer