Bevacizumab-Based Therapy for Patients with Brain Metastases from Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Preliminary Results.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that obstructs the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. Despite its extensive employment in the treatment of primary tumors of the brain, experience of brain metastatic disease, a frequent complication in patients with lung cancer, is very limited. On the basis of the strong antiedemigenous effect and no risk of intracranial bleeding, we administered a bevacizumab-based chemotherapy to patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and symptomatic metastatic brain lesions who were not suitable candidates for a specific local therapy. METHODS: The patients received bevacizumab 7.5 mg/kg and cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) on day 1, and gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8, every 21 days. RESULTS: We studied 13 patients with clinical and radiological progressive brain metastases; the majority had a treatment-naïve disease. Bevacizumab-based chemotherapy was found to be well tolerated and effective progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.1 months (range 0.9-39.2+) and overall survival (OS) was 9.6 months (range 3-41.5+). CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab-based therapy proved to be feasible and safe. The PFS and the OS data are very encouraging as well as the symptomatic benefit due to bevacizumab's high capacity to provide a long-lasting decrease of perilesional edema.