Oncology Medical News about Gastrointestinal perforation; gastrointestinal fistula; ovarian cancer

Become a Member Today!
Register

Most Viewed Abstracts

1. Report Shows Shift in Starting Salaries for Physicians

2. Recommendations on the use of 18F-FDG PET in oncology

3. Taxane-based combinations as adjuvant chemotherapy of early breast cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized trials

4. Gene expression signatures, clinicopathological features, and individualized therapy in breast cancer

5. Sentinel node biopsy is important in mastectomy for ductal carcinoma in situ

Your Article Summary

See Latest Articles

(Click the title below to leave the MDLinx Network and go to the Journal's Website)

The risk of gastrointestinal perforation and/or fistula in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer receiving bevacizumab compared to standard chemotherapy: A retrospective cohort study
Gynecologic Oncology, 08/06/09

Sfakianos GP et al. - In a study to determine the rate of gastrointestinal (GI) perforation and/or fistula in pts with recurrent ovarian cancer (OC) treated with and without bevacizumab, it was shown that although a substantial number of pts with recurrent OC experience GI obstruction, the rate of GI perforation and/or fistula is relatively low. Treatment with bevacizumab does not significantly increase GI toxicity compared to standard salvage chemotherapy.

Methods

A retrospective chart review identified 2 cohorts of pts with recurrent OC: pts who were receiving bevacizumab either alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy; pts who were receiving standard chemotherapy alone.
GI toxicity (perforation and fistula) was assessed using NCI Common Toxicity Criteria.
Relative risk and 95% confidence intervals were calculated; chi square test and student's t test were used for statistical analysis.

Results

68 pts receiving bevacizumab for recurrent OC were identified.
67% of these pts received chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab.
For comparison, 195 pts receiving standard chemotherapy alone for recurrent OC were identified.
A history of previous GI resection (40% vs 37%) and GI obstruction (30% vs 27%) was similar in both cohorts.
5 pts (7.2%) developed a GI perforation and/or fistula in the bevacizumab cohort vs 13 pts (6.5%) in the chemotherapy alone cohort.
Relative risk for developing a perforation and/or fistula is 1.09.

<< Previous
GPR30 predicts poor survival for ovarian cancer

Next >>
Efficacy of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) plus...