Avastin® (bevacizumab) is approved to treat glioblastoma (GBM) in adult patients whose cancer has progressed after prior treatment (recurrent or rGBM).
The benefits of Avastin therapy
In a clinical study, when people with recurrent glioblastoma took Avastin with chemotherapy (lomustine) instead of chemotherapy alone:
Avastin has not been proven to increase survival in patients with rGBM
- Tumor response is based on MRI and corticosteroid use. Tumor response rates were based on the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria.
Possible serious side effects
Everyone reacts differently to Avastin therapy. So, it's important to know what the side effects are. Although some people may have a life-threatening side effect, most do not. Your doctor will stop treatment if any serious side effects occur. Be sure to contact your health care team if there are any signs of these side effects.
Most serious side effects (not common, but sometimes fatal):
- GI perforation. A hole that develops in your stomach or intestine. Symptoms include pain in your abdomen, nausea, vomiting, constipation, or fever
- Wounds that don't heal. A cut made during surgery can be slow to heal or may not fully heal. Avastin should not be used for at least 28 days before or after surgery and until surgical wounds are fully healed
- Serious bleeding. This includes vomiting or coughing up blood; bleeding in the stomach, brain, or spinal cord; nosebleeds; and vaginal bleeding. If you recently coughed up blood or had serious bleeding, be sure to tell your doctor
What are the side effects of Avastin in rGBM?
In a rGBM trial, all side effects were collected for people taking Avastin with lomustine or lomustine alone. Serious to life threatening blood clots in the veins of the body were seen in 5% of patients receiving Avastin with chemotherapy compared to 2% of patients receiving chemotherapy alone. In this study, 22% of people who took Avastin with lomustine stopped treatment compared to 10% of people who took lomustine alone. The side effects found in people taking Avastin and lomustine are similar to other trials.
To learn about the possible side effects of taking Avastin, visit the Side Effects page.
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Avastin is a tumor starving therapy. Read more about how it’s designed to work.
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