Avastin bevacizumab cancer data

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reported data from a retrospective analysis of 4,168 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older with stage IIIB or IV non-squamous NSCLC diagnosed in 2002-2007 showing that adding Avastin to carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy was not associated with a significant improvement in OS vs. carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy alone. The researchers categorized patients into 3 cohorts based on diagnosis year and type of initial chemotherapy administered within 4 months of diagnosis. Specifically, Avastin plus chemotherapy produced a median OS of 9.7 months in patients diagnosed in 2006-2007 compared to 8.9 and 8 months for patients receiving chemotherapy alone who were diagnosed in 2006-2007 and 2002-2005, respectively. Additionally, the 1-year survival probability for Avastin plus chemotherapy was 39.6% vs. 40.1% and 35.6% for patients receiving chemotherapy alone who were diagnosed in 2006-2007 and 2002-2005, respectively. Data were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. ...