Background: Despite the large use of bevabizumab in the treatment of primary tumors of the brain, there is only limited experience with brain metastases (BM) and no experience in the treatment of previously untreated secondary brain lesions.
Patients and methods: We treated patients with BM, not suitable for local treatment, with a bevacizumab-based therapy associated with chemotherapy or interferon-α, as indicated for the primary cancer type.
Results: We studied 18 patients with BM mostly from lung and renal adenocarcinoma, and the majority of patients had a treatment-naïve brain disease. Bevacizumab was found to be effective: the response rate was 60% partial responses with 40% disease stabilizations. The progression-free survival was 14 months and the overall survival was 15 months. Moreover, bevacizumab has a high capability of providing a long-lasting clinical benefit and reducing edema.
Conclusion: Bevacizumab for treatment of BM is feasible and the efficacy data are very encouraging.
Keywords: Brain; bevacizumab; cancer; chemotherapy; interferon-α; kidney; lung; metastasis.