Sustained Stable Disease with Capecitabine plus Bevacizumab in Metastatic Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report

Abstract

In a patient who had been diagnosed in 2006 with appendiceal adenocarcinoma with peritoneal metastases after an incomplete surgery, palliative chemotherapy was administered. First-line treatment with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) and second-line treatment including 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus panitumumab showed inefficiency in controlling disease progression. Third-line chemotherapy combining capecitabine plus bevacizumab was started, achieving good control of the tumour growth and a minor response in the second computed tomography scan. We decided to maintain the treatment, although forced bevacizumab “breaks” were necessary due to unexpected adverse events, with the patient suffering disease progression every time bevacizumab was stopped and reaching minor response again once the antiangiogenic treatment was reintroduced. During more than 10 years after starting third-line treatment, the patient maintained good performance status and disease stability with this “up and down” management until January 2019, when a neurological adverse event during bevacizumab infusion drove us to abandon it definitely.

Keywords

• appendiceal adenocarcinoma
• capecitabine
• bevacizumab
• stable disease