ASCO: Continuing avastin with 2nd-line chemo ups survival
Continuing use of bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with second-line chemotherapy improves overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have progressed after discontinuation of first-line bevacizumab and chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago.
(HealthDay) -- Continuing use of bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with second-line chemotherapy improves overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who have progressed after discontinuation of first-line bevacizumab and chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago.
Dirk Arnold, M.D., from the University Clinic Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany, and colleagues randomized 820 patients with unresectable, histologically-confirmed mCRC, who had progressed within three months after discontinuation of first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy, to receive second-line fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy with bevacizumab (2.5 mg/kg/week equivalent; 409 patients) or without bevacizumab (411 patients). The choice of oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-based second-line chemotherapy was dependent on the regimen used in first-line treatment.
The researchers found that the median OS was significantly longer in those receiving bevacizumab and chemotherapy, compared to those receiving only chemotherapy (11.2 versus 9.8 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.81), as was median PFS (5.7 versus 4.1 months; HR, 0.68). The adverse event profile was similar to previously reported data for bevacizumab and chemotherapy. When compared with historical data from bevacizumab treatment in first- and second-line mCRC treatment, bevacizumab-related adverse events were not increased by continuing treatment beyond progression.
"By simply switching chemotherapy drugs when the cancer progresses and continuing with bevacizumab, we can make second-line treatment even more powerful," Arnold said in a statement. "This finding will likely spur research into other cancer types that are sensitive to both bevacizumab and chemotherapy."
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Genentech/Roche, the manufacturer of bevacizumab.
More information: Abstract
More Information
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
-
Advanced lung cancer patients see improved, progression-free survival
Nov 13, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Drug cocktail boosts ovarian cancer survival time
Jun 02, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Bevacizumab active in HIV-linked Kaposi's sarcoma
Mar 20, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Bevacizumab doesn't up overall survival in prostate cancer
Mar 27, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
New drug combination slows tumor growth for recurrent ovarian cancer
Jun 06, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Why is zone 1 in liver more prone to ischemic injury?
May 23, 2013
-
How can there be villous adenoma in colon, if there are no villi there
May 22, 2013
-
How can there be a term called "intestinal metaplasia" of stomach
May 21, 2013
-
Pressure-volume curve: Elastic Recoil Pressure don't make sense
May 18, 2013
-
If you became brain-dead, would you want them to pull the plug?
May 17, 2013
-
MRI bill question
May 15, 2013
- More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences
More news stories
Scientists put bowel cancer under the microscope
Researchers from London's Kingston University have begun a two-year study which could help prolong the lives of people with colorectal tumours.
Cancer
22 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Researcher identifies breast cancer fighting hormone
Transformative research from Western University has identified new hormones in the body which may suppress breast cancer and stimulate the regression of breast tumors.
Cancer
1 hour ago |
not rated yet |
0
Ground breaking cancer research finds immune system link
(Medical Xpress)—Curtin University researchers have found evidence that targeting specific cells in the body can reverse the effects of cancer on the immune system.
Cancer
1 hour ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
How the EU could help more children survive cancer
A leading expert in childhood cancer at The University of Nottingham is spearheading a Europe-wide lobby of the European Parliament to try to make it easier for doctors to develop and test new treatments on children and young ...
Cancer
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Study: No higher cancer rate at Conn. Pratt plant
(AP)—Researchers examining the incidence of brain cancer at jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut say they have found no statistically significant elevations in the rate of cancer among workers.
Cancer
3 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent
(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...
Help at hand for people with schizophrenia
How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen.
New neuron formation could increase capacity for new learning, at the expense of old memories
New research presented today shows that formation of new neurons in the hippocampus - a brain region known for its importance in learning and remembering - could cause forgetting of old memories by causing a reorganization ...
Are there atheists in foxholes? Study says they're the minority
Ernie Pyle – an iconic war correspondent in World War II – reportedly said "There are no atheists in foxholes." A new joint study between two brothers at Cornell and Virginia Wesleyan found that only ...
Breathing exercises help veterans find peace after war, scholar says
(Medical Xpress)—Research by Stanford scholar Emma Seppala at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education found that post-traumatic stress disorder decreased in veterans who participated ...
Do doctors understand the individualisation of treatments?
The individualisation of drug treatments to support patients to self-manage their conditions is a concept that sits at the heart of policy, but a recent study in BMJ Open shows that there is no concrete defini ...