An international clinical trial shows that treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival.
The findings in the New England Journal of Medicine report that the drug halted the cancer's return for two months overall but for women with the highest risk disease, the delay was five to six months and the findings also indicate a strong trend to improved overall survival, which is being analyzed until 2013.
The seven-year study began in 2004 and enrolled 1,528 women with ovarian cancer at 263 centres, including 20 in Canada. Avastin was added to chemotherapy treatment and given intravenously every three weeks for 12 months.
The drug blocks growth factors that promote new blood vessels formation in tumors, "starving" the cancer. It is not a cure, but has a proven track record in delaying disease progression in other types of cancer including colorectal, lung, breast, kidney and brain.
"This is the first new drug in ovarian cancer in 15 years to improve outcome and I believe it should be considered as a potential new standard of care," says Dr. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program. "We now know that using Avastin in ovarian cancer for even this short time improves outcomes. The next step is to determine if giving it for a longer period would be of even greater benefit."
Similar findings from a U.S. study are also reported in the journal. Oza says the major difference between the two studies is that the women in the American study were given twice as much Avastin. "So the question now is would half the dose for double the duration improve outcomes even more? This is an area to investigate further."
