Avastin seen to prolong life for women with advanced cervical cancer

Swiss drug major Roche’s (ROG: SIX) blockbuster cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) can extend the lives of women with advanced cervical cancer compared to chemotherapy alone, according to new data published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The data from a study known as GOG240 show that the addition of targeted therapy Avastin to chemotherapy (paclitaxel and topotecan or cisplatin) significantly extends the lives of women with advanced cervical cancer (stage IVB, recurrent or persistent cervical carcinoma) by nearly four months and almost 30% compared to chemotherapy alone (median overall survival of 17 months compared to 13.3 months, respectively; HR=0.71, p=0.0035).

In addition, the percentage of patients who responded to therapy increased by a third from 36% to 48% (p= 0.0078) with the addition of Avastin compared to chemotherapy alone. Patients receiving Avastin experienced more side effects than those who did not, but they were consistent with those previously associated with Avastin and did not impair patients’ quality of life.