Bevacizumab combined with platinum-based chemotherapy in primary or relapsed ovarian cancer patients: Meta-analysis and literature to review

Abstract

Introduction: Earlier, patients with advanced ovarian cancer were treated with a combination of cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy, which had significant outcomes in the past until an increase in relapse and resistance to treatment, which led to the use or development of bevacizumab (a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor) in the treatment of primary or relapsed ovarian cancer. Method and Methodology: This study includes five-phase three randomized controlled clinical trials designed to study the impact of bevacizumab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy compared with platinum-based chemotherapy alone. Results: This study demonstrated significant improvement in the progression-free span but no improvement in overall survival in the treatment group when compared with the control group. Also, adverse effects reported with combination therapy were tolerable and easily manageable by decreasing the infusion rate or by decreasing the frequency of infusion.

Keywords

• bevacizumab
• chemotherapy
• meta-analysis
• ovarian cancer
• platinum based