Bevacizumab and Glioblastoma: Past, Present, and Future Directions

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal intracranial malignancy, with few advances in treatment over the last several decades. Much excitement surrounded the initial approval for bevacizumab for recurrent GBM, given the marked radiographic responses and improvement in progression-free survival observed in early studies. However, phase III studies have failed to demonstrate an overall survival advantage with the use of this agent. An overview of the mechanism of action and activity of bevacizumab in adult gliomas, a timeline of pivotal clinical trials, data on its impact on quality of life and imaging, and its role in managing the sequelae of treatment provide evidence for its current use. Investigations into combinatorial approaches utilizing bevacizumab with reirradiation and immunotherapy and ongoing work to identify biomarkers to select patient subsets who may benefit from treatment elucidate important unanswered questions that will further define the role of bevacizumab in the management of patients with GBM.

Medical Subject Headings

Angiogenesis Inhibitors (pharmacology, therapeutic use); Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological (pharmacology, therapeutic use); Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (adverse effects, therapeutic use); Bevacizumab (pharmacology, therapeutic use); Biomarkers, Tumor; Clinical Trials as Topic; Glioblastoma (diagnosis, drug therapy, metabolism, mortality); Humans; Immunomodulation (drug effects); Molecular Targeted Therapy; Recurrence; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (metabolism)

Publication Date

1-1-2018

Publication Title

Cancer journal (Sudbury, Mass.)

E-ISSN

1540-336X

Volume

24

Issue

4

First Page

180

Last Page

186

PubMed ID

30119081

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1097/PPO.0000000000000326

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