Combo avastin with other medicine extended lung cancer patient.

by Tony KOay

In year 2007, United States was already approved Avastin as a first line lung cancer treatment for patients with advance non small cell lung cancer in combination with platinum based echemotherapy.

Avastin is indicated for the first-line treatment of unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel.

Based on the drug maker Roche said that avastin is the only first-line treatment to demonstrate improved survival benefits beyond one year in patients with advanced lung cancer and is the first treatment that inhibits angiogenesis, which is the growth of a network of blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to cancerous tissues.

Avastin targets a naturally occurring protein called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), a key mediator of angiogenesis, thus choking off the blood supply that is essential for the growth of the tumor and its spread throughout the body.

According to Land Mark US study, avastin is the first medicine proven to help previously untreated patients suffering from the most common form of lung cancer to live longer than a year. There result showed that the duration of survival lung cancer patients who took in the Avastin with carboplatin chemotherapy group was 12.3 months compared to 10.3 months in the group treated with chemotherapy alone. Which extended lung cancer patients with 2 more months.

Avastin is the first and only anti-angiogenic agent to have demonstrated improved overall and/or progression-free survival in four major tumour types, namely: colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer and renal cell carcinoma.

In year 2006, American Society of Clinical Oncology announced that avastin combination with erlotinib was delivered with promising preliminary results in the treatment of refractory non-small cell lung cancer in data. Based on the study, the 17.9% response rate with the avastin-erlotinib combination was better than the 12.5% rate seen in patients treated with avastin and chemotherapy and the 12.2% rate seen in those treated with chemotherapy alone.

Avastin inhibits the growth of blood vessels, which is part of the body's normal healing and maintenance. The body grows new blood vessels in wound healing, and as collateral circulation around blocked or atherosclerotic blood vessels. One concern is that avastin will interfere with these normal processes, and worsen conditions like coronary artery disease or peripheral artery disease.

The main side effects are hypertension and heightened risk of bleeding. Bowel perforation has been reported. In advanced lung cancer, less than half of patients qualify for treatment. Brain capillary leak syndrome, nasal septum perforation, and renal thrombotic microangiopathy have been reported.

About the Author

Author Tony koay, Malaysia more info please visit www.earthrises.net