With the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and most provisions due to take effect in 2014, it’s reasonable to ask what MD Anderson is doing to prepare.
Fall 2013 : STUDY NO. 1
Bevacizumab fails newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients
Mark Gilbert, M.D.
Photo: Medical Graphics
and Photography
Before a trial led by Mark Gilbert, M.D., professor in Neuro-Oncology, no Phase III, randomized, double-blind study had been conducted with this drug in glioblastoma. Findings from this trial were significant and highlighted at the plenary session of ASCO.
“When we launched the study, those in the field of brain cancer — both the scientific and patient communities — were excited,” he says. “Bevacizumab had recently received approval for recurrent disease, and we knew some physicians were already giving it as frontline therapy, even with virtually no data to support that decision. It was important from a patient care and regulatory standpoint that we conduct this trial.”
Results showed that bevacizumab failed to increase overall survival (OS) — or statistically significant progression-free survival (PFS) — in newly diagnosed patients. However, Gilbert stresses that the study still found the drug had some use in managing the disease.
“Ultimately, our study showed that bevacizumab has the same benefit whether given early or late, and, because of the risk of extra toxicity upfront, its use can be reserved as a later treatment for most patients,” he says.
- STUDY NO.2: Diagnostic tool may help predict right patients for bevacizumab
- STUDY NO.3: Bevacizumab reduces cognitive function and quality of life
Related story: A drug. A disease. Three studies. Four investigators.
See MD Anderson's Newsroom and Cancer Frontline for more information on these and other basic, translational and clinical research findings at MD Anderson.
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