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Spotlight on Bevacizumab in Advanced Colorectal Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

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Abstract

Bevacizumab (Avastin™) is a humanized recombinant antibody that prevents vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor binding, and inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth.

In patients receiving an irinotecan plus fluorouracil/leucovorin (IFL) regimen for first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, the addition of bevacizumab significantly increased overall survival by 4.7 months relative to IFL plus placebo. In the second-line treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, patients who received bevacizumab in combination with a fluorouracil/leucovorin plus oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4) regimen had an overall survival time that was 2 months longer than that in patients receiving FOLFOX4. Preliminary results indicated that bevacizumab significantly extended progression-free survival by 4.9 months in patients receiving paclitaxel for the first-line treatment of locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. The addition of bevacizumab to paclitaxel plus carboplatin in the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) significantly prolonged overall survival by >2 months.

Bevacizumab has acceptable tolerability in patients with advanced colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or NSCLC, with the majority of adverse events being generally mild and clinically manageable. Thus, bevacizumab provides a highly effective addition to standard chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and NSCLC.

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Notes

  1. The use of trade names is for product identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

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Acknowledgments

The full text article in American Journal of Cancer 2006; 5 (1): 43–60 was reviewed by: P. Borgström, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, San Diego, California, USA; B.J. Giantonio, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; B.H. O’Neil, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; R.M. O’Regan, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; G. Ranieri, Department of Experimental Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Bari, Italy; T.A. Traina, Breast Cancer Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA; A.M. Young, Cancer Research UK Trials Unit, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

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  1. Adis International Inc., 770 Township Line Road, Yardley, 19067, USA

    Katherine A. Lyseng-Williamson &  Dean M. Robinson

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  1. Katherine A. Lyseng-Williamson
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  2. Dean M. Robinson
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Correspondence to Dean M. Robinson.

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Lyseng-Williamson, K.A., Robinson, D.M. Spotlight on Bevacizumab in Advanced Colorectal Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. BioDrugs 20, 193–195 (2006). https://doi.org/10.2165/00063030-200620030-00007

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