wo cases of flesh-eating disease linked to cancer drug Avastin

Blogger's Note/Opinion:  52 cases reported;  important to put this into the context of the total number of patients receiving Avastin; it is possible that these adverse event numbers are under-reported; on the plus side Avastin has been of great benefit to many patients/numerous types of cancer; caution and awareness - as always  (has been seen in ovarian cancer patients (not common) - since its use with a variety of effects (minor/major)

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Necrotizing fasciitis (/ˈnɛkrəˌtaɪzɪŋ ˌfæʃiˈaɪtɪs/ or /ˌfæs-/) or NF, commonly known as flesh-eating disease or flesh-eating bacteria syndrome,^[1] is a rare infection of the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues, easily spreading across the fascial plane within the subcutaneous tissue.
Necrotizing fasciitis is quickly progressing, having greater risk of developing in the immunocompromised due to conditions like diabetes, cancer, etc. It is a severe disease of sudden onset and is usually treated immediately with high doses of intravenous antibiotics. ^[2]........

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media

 TORONTO — Health Canada is warning that the cancer drug Avastin has been linked in rare cases to necrotizing fasciitis, the fast-moving bacterial infection also known as flesh-eating disease.
Two Canadians taking Avastin developed necrotizing fasciitis and one of them died, the federal department said Thursday in a warning issued in conjunction with the drug's manufacturer, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a similar warning in mid-March, indicating that cases of the tissue-destroying infection have mainly been seen in people with wound-healing complications or certain internal bleeding conditions.A  safety review of the drug by Roche identified 52 cases of necrotizing fasciitis reported worldwide between November 1997 and September 2012; 17 of them were fatal, including the one Canadian."...........