Drug review: Safety and efficacy of bevacizumab for glioblastoma and other brain tumors.

Abstract

Glioblastoma is a highly vascular tumor that expresses vascular endothelial growth factor, a key regulator of angiogenesis and tumor blood vessel permeability. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor and the growth of gliomas. Bevacizumab monotherapy has proven effective for recurrent glioblastoma, and it extended progression-free survival and improved patient quality of life in various clinical trials. Some patients who receive bevacizumab experience improvements in neurological symptoms and steroid dose reductions. Bevacizumab induces a dramatic and rapid radiological response, but non-enhancing lesions are often detected on magnetic resonance imaging without enhancing lesions. Rebound phenomena such as rapid tumor regrowth are occasionally observed after the discontinuation of bevacizumab therapy. Therefore, Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria were recently devised to evaluate the efficacy and radiological response of bevacizumab treatment. Hypertension and proteinuria are characteristic adverse events associated with bevacizumab therapy. In addition, many fatal adverse events such as intracranial hemorrhage and venous thromboembolism are reported in patients treated with bevacizumab. However, these events are also associated with glioma itself, and careful attention needs to be paid to these events. Bevacizumab is used to treat various diseases including radiation necrosis and recurrent brain tumors such as brain metastases, schwannoma and meningioma, but additional clinical trials are necessary. The efficacy and current problems associated with bevacizumab in the treatment of glioblastoma and other brain tumors are reviewed.

• Authors: Yoshitaka Narita
• Journal: Japanese journal of clinical oncology (Jpn J Clin Oncol) Vol. 43 Issue 6 Pg. 587-95 (Jun 2013) ISSN: 1465-3621 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23585688 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Bevacizumab

Topics

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Bevacizumab
• Brain Neoplasms (drug therapy, mortality, pathology, radiotherapy, secondary)
• Disease-Free Survival
• Glioblastoma (drug therapy, mortality, pathology, radiotherapy)
• Humans
• Intracranial Hemorrhages (chemically induced, etiology)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Meningioma (drug therapy)
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local (drug therapy)
• Neurilemmoma (drug therapy)
• Radiation Injuries (drug therapy)
• Treatment Outcome
• Venous Thromboembolism (chemically induced, etiology)