Anti-angiogenesis therapy with bevacizumab for patients with ovarian granulosa cell tumors.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Ovarian granulosa cell tumors tend to respond poorly to chemotherapy. We examined the clinical efficacy of bevacizumab with or without concurrent chemotherapy and evaluated the angiogenic characteristics of these patients' tumors.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective review of all patients seen at our institution from February 2004 to October 2008 who received bevacizumab for ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors. We performed immunohistochemical staining for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD31 when tissue was available; microvessel density was measured based on CD31 staining. Clinical data were abstracted from a chart review.

RESULTS:

We identified 8 patients who were treated with bevacizumab; 7 had adult granulosa cell tumors and one had a juvenile granulosa cell tumor. All patients had recurrent disease and had been previously treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy (median 3.5 regimens; range, 1-6). One patient had a complete clinical response to bevacizumab therapy, 2 patients had a partial response, 2 patients had stable disease, and 3 patients' disease progressed, yielding a response rate of 38% and a clinical benefit rate of 63%. The median progression-free survival was 7.2 months and overall survival was not reached at a median follow-up of 23.6 months after initiating bevacizumab. VEGF overexpression and microvessel density were associated with poor outcome but sample size was too small to calculate statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS:

Anti-VEGF therapy is highly effective in patients with granulosa cell tumors. Based on our observations, a prospective trial has been initiated using single-agent bevacizumab in patients with recurrent ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors.

• Authors: Xia Tao, Anil K Sood, Michael T Deavers, Kathleen M Schmeler, Alpa M Nick, Robert L Coleman, Ljiljana Milojevic, David M Gershenson, Jubilee Brown
• Journal: Gynecologic oncology (Gynecol Oncol) Vol. 114 Issue 3 Pg. 431-6 (Sep 2009) ISSN: 1095-6859 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19524286 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Antibodies, Monoclonal
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
• Bevacizumab

Topics

• Adult
• Angiogenesis Inhibitors (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal (administration & dosage, adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Bevacizumab
• Female
• Granulosa Cell Tumor (blood supply, drug therapy)
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Middle Aged
• Neovascularization, Pathologic (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Ovarian Neoplasms (blood supply, drug therapy, metabolism)
• Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (metabolism)
• Retrospective Studies
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (metabolism)
• Young Adult