Preliminary efficacy of bevacizumab for cerebral radiation necrosis / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the preliminary clinical efficacy of bevacizumab for cerebral radiation necrosis (CRN). Methods Nineteen patients with CRN for whom the treatment with steroids and mannitol failed were retrospectively analyzed with a total of 22 lesions. Except for 5 lesions confirmed by pathological evidence, all lesions were confirmed by the following imaging evidence:1. computed tomography (CT)?or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?enhanced lesions showed loss of tension and were accompanied by substantial edema;2. CT?or MRI?enhanced lesions had a low perfusion pressure;3. magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicated that the enhanced areas had a decreased choline peak; 4. positron emission tomography showed that the fluorodeoxyglucose uptake was substantially reduced in the enhanced areas. All patients were given 5 mg/ kg bevacizumab at an interval of 14 days for 2?6 cycles. MRI examination was performed in each cycle before treatment, and the enhanced lesions on T1?weighted images ( T1 WI) and edema on T2?weighted images (T2 WI) were compared before and after treatment. The clinical symptoms, Karnofsky Performance Status ( KPS), and adverse reactions in all patients were evaluated. Comparison before and after treatment was performed by paired t test. Results All 19 patients completed the treatment successfully and there were no severe adverse reactions. The clinical symptoms of patients were substantially improved after the second cycle of treatment, and the KPS score increased by 26?? 8 on average. The visible volume of enhanced lesions on MRI T1 WI was significantly reduced by 54?? 8% after treatment (P= 0?? 000), while the visible volume of edema on MRI T2 WI was reduced by 80?? 7% after treatment (P= 0?? 000). The follow?up time ranged from 3 to 12 months with a mean value of 5?? 6 months. Eleven patients kept clinical improvement in CRN, four patients had recurrence, and four patients died from tumor progression. Conclusions Bevacizumab is preliminarily confirmed to substantially improve the clinical symptoms and quality of life in patients with CRN.