Bevacizumab slows metastatic breast cancer
Published: Dec. 27, 2007 at 3:34 PM
The drug, also known as Avastin, slows the growth of tumor-supporting blood vessels by inhibiting a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group in Philadelphia found in a study of 722 women with recurrent breast cancer that those also on Avastin had progression-free survival of 11.3 months compared to 9 months on standard therapy alone.
"This therapy is a one-two punch! You hit the tumor with the chemo and sabotage new blood vessel growth by restricting its oxygen supply with Avastin," study co-author Dr. Melody Cobleigh, of Rush University Medical Center, said in a statement. "This is a noteworthy advance in cancer treatment."
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the drug in the clinical study not only slowed the growth of the tumor, it doubled the remission rate -- the shrinkage of tumors by 50 percent or more -- compared with standard chemotherapy alone.
© 2007 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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