Avastin: An introduction to the first-line treatment

The Food and Drug Administration approved bevacizumab—Avastin, Genentech, Inc.—on June 13, 2018. Developed by Genentech Access Solutions, Avastin is a prescription-only medicine, and is administered through intravenous infusion. The approval of the treatment marks an advancement for medicines.

A biologic antibody, Avastin is designed to particularly bind to a proteinknown as vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, which plays an integral part in the lifecycle of a tumor, developing and maintaining blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis. Designed to disrupt the tumor blood supply by bluntly clinging to the VEGF protein, Avastin prevents interactivities with receptors found in blood vessel cells. According to Dr. Matthew Boente MD, the tumor blood supply is believed to be integral to the capacity of a tumor to develop and metastasize or grow in the body.

Founded on the data gathered from the pivotal Phase III GOG-0218 trial, Avastin in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, with Avastin as a single agent as the next step for the treatment, is approved for treating women suffering from stage III or stage IV epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal , or fallopian tube cancer, after primary surgical resection.

Dr. Matthew Boente MD reports that Avastin has received FDA approval for ten different indications but this approval is the tenth and is for front-line treatment of ovarian cancer. Such evidence is a reflection of the fourth gynecologic oncology indication in a span of four years. This includes two various types of ovarian cancer recurring after platinum-based chemotherapy and advanced cervical cancer.

Dr. Matthew Boente MD has had academic administrative appointments in different medical institutions such as Duke University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Oncology and Minneapolis CCOP. Read more from Dr. Boente by visiting this blog.