NICE guidance on bevacizumab in combination with gemcitabine and carboplatin for treating the first recurrence of platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer

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open access: The Lancet Oncology

 "........At its second meeting, the Committee considered responses to its preliminary recommendations from the manufacturer and patient groups.9 The Committee was aware that, because a proportion of patients in both treatment groups from the OCEANS trial received bevacizumab after disease progression, confounding of overall survival results might have occurred. However, the Committee remained unable to draw any firm conclusions as to which of the three potential explanations explained the difference between the progression-free survival and overall survival results, and to what extent. Consequently, the Committee did not recommend bevacizumab in combination with gemcitabine and carboplatin for the treatment of the first recurrence of platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer. A final appraisal determination was issued.10 Stakeholders were given the opportunity to request changes to the document or to appeal against its recommendations. No appeals were received and the guidance was published by NICE on May 22, 2013."