Avastin Cancer Drug Gets Mixed Reviews
A new drug for fighting cancer has recently proved varying effectiveness fighting different forms of cancer, according to three different studies looking into how the drug might help cancer patients.
The cancer-fighting drug in question, bevacizumab, commonly known as Avastin, was designed to slow or completely stop cancer progression by preventing the growth of new blood vessels that would provide spreading tumors with nutrients and oxygen. Blood vessels are also used by cancer cells to spread to other regions of the body or brain, so halting blood vessel formation can be very beneficial.
However, several new studies have shown that the drug might not be nearly as effective as its manufacturers, the Roche Group, had planned it to be.
In a trial conducted by doctors representing the U.S. National Cancer Institute (USNCI), Avastin was shown to extend the survival of patients with advance cervical cancer by nearly four months, when coupled with standard treatment procedures, such as chemotherapy. This result encouraged researchers, promoting an investigation into how effectively the drug could prevent the spread of brain tumors.
Unfortunately, in two more trials, one funded by Roche, and one funded by the USNCI, the cancer dug had no impact on the survival rates of patients suffering from glioblastoma.
Gioblastoma, a cancer of the supportive tissue of the brain, is an extremely aggressive form of brain cancer due to fact that the original tumors form in areas surrounded by a large network of blood vessels. Researcher had hoped that Avastin would slow the aggressiveness of the cancer's spread, but the studies indicated that even with administration of the drug alongside chemotherapy, there was no apparent benefit from the treatment. Worse yet, the adverse side effects of Avastin still affected the treated patients even when the drug didn't improve survival.
What does this mean for Avastin? According to all three studies, more tests will need to be done to determine which conditions the drug treats best, but the cervical cancer results alone might be enough to get it into hospitals. When, however, remains to be determined.
The studies were published in The New England Journal of Medicine on February 20.
Feb 20, 2014 11:18 AM EST
