Author/Editor     Mesti, Tanja; Reberšek, Martina; Ocvirk, Janja
Title     Long term maintenance therapy with VEGF inhibitor with remission of the disease for seven years in patient with metastatic rectal cancer
Type     članek
Vol. and No.     Letnik 10, št. 1
Publication year     2019
Volume     str. 1-5
ISSN     2476-1370
Language     eng
Abstract     We report a case of a 65-year-old female with metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma which was on maintenance therapy with bevacizumab from September 2007 to September 2014. For seven years she was in remission. At that time except for the hoarseness that developed after three years of maintenance therapy with bevacizumab, no additional changes were noted. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody, a VEGF inhibitor. Neutralizing the biological activity of VEGF regresses the vascularisation of tumours, normalises remaining tumour vasculature, and inhibits the formation of new tumour vasculature, thereby inhibiting tumour growth. The use of maintenance therapy with bevacizumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer is widely accepted, but the duration of maintenance is not yet defined. The side effects of bevacizumab as maintenance therapy remains to be answered. The individual treatment approach is the best way of treating the patient, and in the lack of definite data of the biology of the individual metastatic carcinoma, the multidisciplinary approach and the experienced specialists are essential.
Keywords     sistemsko zdravljenje
bevacizumab
rak debelega črevesa in danke
metastatski rak
maintenance therapy
bevacizumab
colorectal cancer
metastatic cancer