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Survival statistics for mets treated with Avastin?

Page last modified on: November 20, 2008
Question from KBreen: What are the latest survival figures in women with metastatic breast cancer who are being treated with Avastin in combination with Xeloda or IV taxanes?
Answers —Nicholas Robert, M.D.: There have been two trials in patients treated with Avastin (chemical name: bevacizumab) who have breast cancers. The first trial was in patients who had multiple prior chemotherapy treatments who then received Avastin and Xeloda (chemical name: capecitabine) versus Xeloda. Unfortunately, in those patients Avastin did not make a difference in outcome. More recently, there has been a trial with weekly Taxol (chemical name: paclitaxel) and Avastin, and in those patients there's been an improvement in response as well as delaying recurrence. But to date there has not been any survival improvement. That may change. The role of Avastin in breast cancer remains unclear. There are two current clinical trials that are evaluating Avastin in both first-line and second-line settings, looking at different chemotherapy regimens with or without Avastin. These trials are critical in terms of learning how to best use this very expensive drug.
Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.: The statistics in breast cancer are grouped together in lots of groups of people. You might get information on average length of survival or you may get information on how many patients are alive at one year or two years. Some people may want a crystal ball, and obviously you deserve an honest answer from your doctor so you can prepare for things that you might want to do. On the other hand, everybody's story is different and you have to be very careful not to take an estimate of survival as gospel. If you live with metastatic breast cancer, it's helpful to us as oncologists to tell us how much information you want about your prognosis so that we know how best to work with you.

Editor's note:Avastin (chemical name: bevacizumab) was approved as a targeted therapy in February 2008 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in combination with Taxol (chemical name: paclitaxel) to treat people with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer who haven't yet received chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer.

On Wednesday, June 21, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Updates from the 2006 ASCO Annual Meeting. Nicholas Robert, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. answered your questions about recent advances in breast cancer treatment, updates on breast cancer genetics, information on diet and risk of recurrence, and more.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Nicholas Robert, M.D.Nicholas Robert, M.D. is a co-chair of the Breast Committee of the U.S. Oncology Research Network and also chairs the Cancer Committee and Research Committee of the Inova Fairfax Hospital's Cancer Center. 

Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of breast cancer, with a a special interest in cancer survivorship, patient-physician communication, and quality of care for women with breast cancer.

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