Safety and Tolerability of Bevacizumab across Tumour Types

Full Article

M Kozloff

Hong Kong J Radiol 2011;14(Suppl):S4-11

Bevacizumab is one of the novel pharmacological agents used for the treatment of multiple tumour types including metastatic colorectal cancer, non–small-cell lung cancer, metastatic breast cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, and metastatic renal carcinoma. A humanised monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab is a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor. Key clinical trial data confirm its efficacy in improving progression-free survival and overall survival across multiple cancers. Several adverse events including hypertension, proteinuria, increased risks of bleeds, wound healing complications, gastrointestinal perforations and thromboembolic events have been associated with bevacizumab treatment. This paper outlines the aetiology and risk factors associated with their development in bevacizumab-treated patients. Importantly, practical clinical management of adverse events arising from bevacizumab treatment is also presented. Given the favourable bevacizumab efficacy data, a good understanding of the potential adverse events, together with practical strategies to avoid and / or manage these, can help clinicians make appropriate clinical management decisions to maximise benefits for cancer patients.

 

中文摘要

Bevacizumab對於不同腫瘤的安全性及耐受性

M Kozloff

Bevacizumab是其中一種嶄新的藥物製劑,可醫治不同種類的腫瘤,包括轉移性結直腸癌、非小細胞 肺癌、轉移性乳腺癌、膠質母細胞瘤、及轉移性腎臟癌。Bevacizumab是一種擬人化單克隆抗體, 用作抑製血管內皮生長因子。重要的臨床數據顯示bevacizumab可以有效改善患有不同腫瘤的病人 的無惡化生存期及總體存活率。但同時亦發現以下的副作用與bevacizumab相關,包括高血壓、蛋白 尿、出血風險上升、傷口癒合併發症、胃腸道穿孔及血栓事件。本文概述接受bevacizumab治療的 病人出現副作用的病因及風險因素,並重點討論有關這藥物副作用的實用臨床治理。由於資料顯示 bevacizumab有臨床效用,了解其潛在副作用, 及用以避免及治理這些副作用 的策略有助醫生制定適 當的臨床決定,以確保癌症病人得到最大利益。