Avastin Extends Survival in Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Today, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, researchers presented their study E3200, showing that adding Avastin (bevacizumab) to an oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimen significantly increased survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Avastin is a new anti-angiogenesis drug. In combination with an oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimen (FOLFOX4), patients showed a significant increase in overall survival, from 10.7 months to 12.5 months. These patients had previously failed one chemotherapy regimen for their advanced disease. Data also showed that patients receiving Avastin plus chemotherapy had a 26 per cent reduction in the risk of death compared to those treated with chemotherapy alone. This study was also significant as it was the first phase III study to evaluate the use of Avastin with oxaliplatin and oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimens are widely used in first- and second-line metastatic colorectal cancer therapy. Previous studies have also shown the benefit patients with advanced colorectal cancer receive when treated with Avastin. In a previous study, Avastin showed a significant survival benefit when used in combination with chemotherapy in patients who had not received previous chemotherapy for their advanced colorectal cancer (NEJM, 2004). In another study, showed Avastin plus chemotherapy (a milder form of chemotherapy than used in E3200) in patients with advanced colorectal cancer showed a significant increase in progression-free survival. A preliminary analysis of a second study with Avastin known as the TREE 2 trial was also presented today. The study evaluated Avastin use in combination with three different oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimens in patients with previously untreated advanced colorectal cancer. Avastin was well tolerated and significantly improved overall response rates when added to each of the oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimens.