Dr. Liu on the Use of Bevacizumab in Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and director of clinical research for gynecologic oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the use of bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer.

In June 2018, the FDA approved bevacizumab (Avastin) for use in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, followed by bevacizumab monotherapy for women with advanced ovarian cancer following initial surgical resection.

Bevacizumab has been studied since 2011 and has shown a consistent progression-free survival benefit of around 2 to 4 months, says Liu. However, it is important to consider how bevacizumab might benefit patients, as it has yet to demonstrate an overall survival benefit, she adds.

Subset analyses from the ICON7 and GOG218 trials suggest that patients with high-risk disease may benefit from bevacizumab. Because it is not yet clear which patient subset, if any, derives the greatest benefit from bevacizumab, physicians are looking for molecular markers that may indicate who these patients are. Although bevacizumab was approved by the FDA, physicians should exercise caution in deciding who should receive it, says Liu.