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Safety of bevacizumab in patients younger than 4 years of age

Clinical and Translational Oncology volume 18, pages 464–468 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Limited data exist regarding the safety and efficacy of bevacizumab in pediatric patients under the age of 4 years. Here, we report a large cohort of pediatric patients under 4 years of age treated with bevacizumab.

Methods

The primary objective was to document adverse events with a possible relationship to bevacizumab. Patients (n = 16) were identified through retrospective chart review and harbored a variety of conditions (44 % central nervous system (CNS) tumors, 31 % vascular anomalies, 13 % neuroblastoma, 12 % other).

Results

The median age was 34.3 months (range 4.9–47.3), including five patients <2 years of age. Patients received bevacizumab for a median duration of 6.2 months, alone or with chemotherapy, and a median dose of 9.25 mg/kg (range 7.0–11.8). Partial responses were seen in 19 % of patients, and clinical improvements were seen in 69 %. Adverse events known to be associated with bevacizumab occurred in 37 %. Outcomes observed in this population resemble those reported for bevacizumab in older pediatric patients. The overall pattern and frequency of adverse events observed was similar to those seen in reports of older pediatric patients with a variety of conditions. The highest level of efficacy observed was seen among patients with vascular malformations or with low-grade CNS tumors.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the use of bevacizumab is safe for the youngest children.

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Acknowledgments

Support for third-party medical writing assistance was funded by Genentech, Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu de Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu num 2, Esplugues del Llobregat, 08950, Barcelona, Spain

    N. C. Millan, M. J. Poveda, O. Cruz & J. Mora

Authors
  1. N. C. Millan
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  2. M. J. Poveda
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  3. O. Cruz
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  4. J. Mora
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Mora.

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All authors declare no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.

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Millan, N.C., Poveda, M.J., Cruz, O. et al. Safety of bevacizumab in patients younger than 4 years of age. Clin Transl Oncol 18, 464–468 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-015-1389-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-015-1389-5

Keywords

  • Bevacizumab
  • Infant and toddlers
  • Antiangiogenesis
  • Infant tumors