| http://www.ocrf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=884:bevacizumab-increases-progression-free-survival&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=241 |
| In the Dec 29, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers published results from two large phase III trials of the drug bevacizumab, which indicate that the anti-angiogenesis drug increases progression free survival in newly-diagnosed patients with ovarian cancer. Results from the ICON7 trial demonstrated a 1.5 month increase in PFS, while the GOG218 trial showed a 4 month boost in PFS. Along with results from the OCEANS trial presented at the 2011 ASCO meeting, which also showed an increase in progression free survival, the two studies published today add to the body of research suggesting bevacizumab may be a useful frontline treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer. Based on these results, European regulators have recently approved the use of bevacizumab for front-line treatment of ovarian cancer. The US Federal Drug Administration has yet to take that step, probably because studies have yet to show an overall survival advantage for the use of bevacizumab. Bevacizumab has been used off-label by doctors and patients to treat recurrent ovarian cancer for many years. For more information, see the NCI Cancer Bulletin or Medscape. |
