Avastin Can Lengthen The Lives Of Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients

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Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 03 Jun 2013 - 10:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Avastin Can Lengthen The Lives Of Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients

The addition of targeted therapy Avastin (bevacizumab) with chemotherapy can significantly lengthen the lives of women with advanced cervical cancer by close to 30%, according to research presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology Congress.

The finding is an important discovery in the fight against cervical cancer - the most common cancer in women under the age of 35.

More than 3,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, while 1,000 will die from it. Cervical cancer is normally treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. If the cancer is detected early and treated promptly, the prognosis is generally good.

Screening and vaccination against the human papilloma virus is crucial in preventing cervical cancer altogether, as well as keeping it from reaching an advanced stage if it does develop. For those patients who are diagnosed at an advanced stage, it becomes harder to treat the disease.

The research presented from this study is known as GOG 240. GOG 240 is an independent, National Cancer Institute (NCI) -sponsored phase III trail examining the effectiveness and safety of Avastin with chemotherapy (paclitaxel and topotecan or cisplatin) to treat women with recurrent, persistent, or advanced cervical cancer (stage IVb), that was not cured by standard treatment methods.

The study consisted of 452 women in the U.S. and Spain who were randomly assigned to one of four treatment schedules: paclitaxel and cisplatinpaclitaxel, cisplatin and Avastin (15 mg/kg every three weeks)paclitaxel and topocetan paclitaxel, topotecan and AvastinThe research revealed that the women who underwent combination treatment with chemotherapy and Avastin lived almost 30% longer, and when compared to those who were just treated with chemotherapy alone: the median overall survival was of 17 months compared to 13.3 months, respectively.

Also, the percentage of patients who responded positively to therapy increased by a third from 36% to 48%. The participants who received bevacizumab had more side effects than those who did not, however, these side effects were consistent with those previously known to be linked to bevacizumab.

Professor Stan Kaye, Head of Clinical Studies at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Consultant Medical Oncologist in the Gynaecology Unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital, said:

"The improvements in overall survival achieved for women with advanced cervical cancer treated with Avastin are extremely encouraging. Thousands of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK and for those with recurrent disease there is a desperate need for more treatment options."

Bevacizumab has a well-confirmed tolerability profile with the most frequently seen adverse effects in clinical trials listed as: hypertensionpainproteinuria (abnormal amount of protein in the bloodneutropeniaThese side effects are generally easy to take care of. The study did not find any new adverse effects. Bevacizumab was also associated with higher rates of grade 3 bleeding, thrombosis embolism, and gastrointestinal fistula.

Robert Music, Director of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said:

"For women who receive a late stage diagnosis of cervical cancer the prognosis can often be poor. The results of this research look promising and if this work can go some way in improving outcomes and overall survival rates in women with advanced cervical cancer then that is a positive step."

Bevacizumab is not currently licensed for the treatment of advanced cervical cancer.

Avastin is approved for four different types of cancers in the United States: mCRC (metastatic Colorectal Cancer), NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer), rGBM (recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme) and RCC (Renal Cell Cancer).

In 2011, the FDA removed the approval of Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer. The regulating body explained that Avastin is not effective or safe for that type of cancer.

Written by Kelly Fitzgerald

Copyright: Medical News Today
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Improving The Lives Of Those Affected By Brain Tumors

Improving The Lives Of Those Affected By Brain Tumors | Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure jQuery(document).ready(function(){ if(jQuery('#region-sidebar-first ul.menu li a.active')){ jQuery('#region-sidebar-first ul.menu li a.active').parent().append(''); } }); Skip to main content Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure

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Get InformedBrain Tumor FactsClinical TrialsNewsVideosSmarter ResearchWhat We FundHow We FundWho We FundScientific GatheringsGet InvolvedWays To GiveJoin An EventPersonal FundraisingAbout UsOur StoryOur TeamOur PartnersTHROUGH OUR EYES Improving The Lives Of Those Affected By Brain Tumors By Guest Blogger: Ashley Varner, Oncology Social Worker Article | February 20, 2013

Recently ABC2 was generous enough to offer to post a blurb about a study I’m working on on their Facebook page.? You might have seen it – I am Ashley Varner, a social work doctoral study studying the lived experience of family members living with and caring for someone with a primary malignant brain tumor.

Between 4 pm on a Tuesday and 4 am on a Wednesday morning more than 100 individuals responded to this request!?

This remarkable show of interest moved me to tears. ?Clearly this research matters. Many of your emails were pages long, generously sharing your experience.? About 80% of the emails I received in those first 12 hours were from individuals whose loved ones had died, yet you are still dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by brain tumors.

For this initial study, my research question is, “What is the lived experience of adult family members who live with an individual diagnosed with a primary malignant brain tumor?”? This is a pilot, qualitative study using grounded theory.? Thanks to your generosity, I have completed data collection and am now transcribing the interviews. ?I look forward to sharing the results.? (If you responded and have not heard from me, please know I am responding to each email – it’s just taking a little time to work my way through the dozens and dozens of responses I received!)

But wait!? There’s more to come!

If you are still interested in a year or so, my dissertation will also focus on those who have cared or are caring for someone with a primary malignant brain tumor.? I am fortunate enough to have received a grant from the American Cancer Society to pursue this research.? If you’d like to be put on a list of people to be contacted when I begin this research study please email me at 39varner@cardinalmail.cua.edu.

Why This Topic of Research?

Some of you asked in your emails what made me pick this topic.? I came to it honestly, but not through family experience.? I’ve been an oncology social worker for more than 15 years.? (For those of you who have never heard of an oncology social worker, we are a growing profession who? focus on the emotional and social well-being of those affected by cancer, both those who are diagnosed and those who care about someone with a cancer diagnosis.)? I have had the incredible privilege throughout my career of working with many people affected by malignant brain tumors.? As most of you know, it is a different experience from other kinds of cancer.? I believe there is a tremendous need to understand the experience of those caring for someone with a brain tumor in order to develop programs and interventions that will improve the experience for both those who are diagnosed and those who care about them.? Of course we need to find a cure, but until we find a cure, we also need to find ways to improve quality of life for those living the experience.

A Shameless Plug

If you are in the Washington, D.C. area and affected by a brain tumor, please join our ABC2 sponsored support group on the 1st Thursday of every month at George Washington University’s Medical Faculty Associates.? For more information contact me at 39varner@cardinalmail.cua.edu

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Main Image Credit:?Ashley VarnerNewsletter Issue:?February 2013 Share| More News April 2, 2013 10:00 AM White House Announces BRAIN Initiative The BRAIN Initiative Challenges Researchers to Unlock Mysteries of Human Mind. February 1, 2013 06:12 PM Low Grade Glioma Research Workshop In partnership with UCSF and MD Anderson, ABC2 brought together researchers from leading medical centers and biotech companies to strategize new therapeutic paths to treat Low Grade Gliomas. January 31, 2013 08:48 PM ABC2-Funded Research Featured in Scientific American The collaboration between academic and industry researchers aims to develop a test to detect genetic brain tumor mutations in cerebral spinal fluid and blood.??? Join us in our fight for a cure! This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here insteadTo sign up to receive our emails, fill in the following fields and hit submit. Thanks, and welcome!first namelast name* email* required ? Links HomeDonateGet InformedSmarter ResearchGet InvolvedAbout us Get Involved DonateWays to GiveJoin an EventPersonal Fundraising Twitter Connect With Us Contact UsGet in touch with usFacebookMeet new friends and join the discussion in FacebookTwitterTweet and follow us. News, press & infoRSS Feeds Subscribe to News Copyright 2011 ABC2 All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy

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