Bevacizumab plus low-dose metronomic oral cyclophosphamide in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

AIM

To retrospectively assess the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab plus low-dose metronomic oral cyclophosphamide in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with recurrent ovarian cancer and prior treatment with platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy were included. Treatment consisted of bevacizumab 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks plus oral cyclophosphamide 50 mg daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Response rates (RR) were determined according to RECIST criteria and by monitoring the CA 125 serum tumor marker according to Rustin's criteria. The endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), RR, overall survival (OS), and safety.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight patients were treated; 79% were platinum resistant and 21% were platinum sensitive. The median number of previous treatments was 4 (range 1-8). Seventy-nine percent of patients had received more than 2 previous lines of treatment. Eighty-one percent of patients had received gemcitabine, 76% liposomal doxorubicin, and 50% topotecan. A median of 8 (range 1-70) cycles of bevacizumab were administered. The overall RR was a complete response (CR) in 3 patients (8.1%), a partial response (PR) in 12 (32.4%), and stable disease (SD) ≥6 months in 3 (8.1%). The median PFS and OS were 4.5 and 10.7 months, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of patients were progression free for at least 6 months. In an exploratory analysis there was a significant relation of prior platinum response and performance status with the risk of progression. Grade 3-4 toxicities included anemia (1), hypertension (2), hematuria (1), arterial thrombosis in the leg (1), dyspnea (1), and intestinal fistulae (1). There were no cases of gastrointestinal perforation (GIP) or treatment-related deaths.

CONCLUSION

The combination of bevacizumab and metronomic cyclophosphamide was active and well-tolerated in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.