abstract: Disease course patterns after discontinuation of bevacizumab (Avastin): pooled analysis of randomized phase III trials

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Abstract:

Purpose:     Preclinical studies have suggested accelerated tumor growth, local invasion, and distant metastasis after withdrawal of treatment with some antiangiogenic agents. To investigate whether discontinuation of bevacizumab treatment is associated with accelerated disease progression or increased mortality, we retrospectively analyzed five randomized, placebo-controlled phase III studies in 4,205 patients with breast, colorectal, renal, and pancreatic cancer.

Conclusion This retrospective analysis of five placebo-controlled clinical trials does not support a decreased time to disease progression, increased mortality, or altered disease progression pattern after cessation of bevacizumab therapy.

Footnotes

• Supported in part by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland.
• Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.
• Clinical trial information can be found for the following: NCT00738530.