A new study in today’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that patients treated with Avastin (bevacizumab) and chemotherapy had an increased risk of developing blood clots compared to patients receiving chemotherapy alone. The data are not entirely original since a sub-set of these data were presented at ASCO in 2005.
This is really a mixed bag, since patients treated with both Avastin and chemotherapy had increased survival with some solid-tumor cancers. Other evidence suggests that patients with these tumor types may be predisposed to artery clogging.
So patients get to choose: take Avastin, live longer and maybe develop a clot. Or skip Avastin and perhaps live a shorter life. Not a tough call here.
This is really a mixed bag, since patients treated with both Avastin and chemotherapy had increased survival with some solid-tumor cancers. Other evidence suggests that patients with these tumor types may be predisposed to artery clogging.
So patients get to choose: take Avastin, live longer and maybe develop a clot. Or skip Avastin and perhaps live a shorter life. Not a tough call here.