Long Term Maintenance Therapy with VEGF Inhibitor with Remission of the Disease for Seven Years in Patient with Metastatic Rectal Cancer

Abstract

We report a case of a 65-year-old female with metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma which was on maintenance therapy with bevacizumab from September 2007 to September 2014. For seven years she was in remission. At that time except for the hoarseness that developed after three years of maintenance therapy with bevacizumab, no additional changes were noted. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody, a VEGF inhibitor. Neutralizing the biological activity of VEGF regresses the vascularisation of tumours, normalises remaining tumour vasculature, and inhibits the formation of new tumour vasculature, thereby inhibiting tumour growth. The use of maintenance therapy with bevacizumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer is widely accepted, but the duration of maintenance is not yet defined. The side effects of bevacizumab as maintenance therapy remains to be answered. The individual treatment approach is the best way of treating the patient, and in the lack of definite data of the biology of the individual metastatic carcinoma, the multidisciplinary approach and the experienced specialists are essential..