Single-agent bevacizumab for recurrent high-grade glioma

e13019 Background: High grade gliomas(HGG) are aggressive primary brain tumors. Most patients relapse following adjuvant therapy and treatment options are limited. Novel therapies have impacted little on overall survival (OS). Bevacizumab is approved for use following recurrence. We aimed to evaluate the extent of clinical benefit derived from this treatment, as defined by decreased steroid usage and median OS. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of consecutive patients with recurrent HGG treated with single agent Bevacizumab from May 2009 to Dec 2012 at our institution. We recorded patient demographics, histological features, therapeutic interventions, OS, steroid use and radiological response. Results: 29 patients with recurrent glioma were identified, 19 male and 10 female, with a median age at diagnosis of 47 years (16-72). All patients developed tumour recurrence following various combinations of multimodal therapies including 1-3 partial debulking surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The median time from diagnosis of HGG to commencement of bevacizumab was 15 months (6-42). Patients received a median of 7 cycles (1-22) of therapy on a variable dosing schedule. 4 patients are alive, 2 continue on Bevacizumab. 19 patients were on steroid therapy when commencing therapy. There was a significant reduction in mean daily steroid use during therapy (7.65mg vs 3.97mg, p = 0.012). However, daily steroid use ultimately increased in some patients following treatment failure. Interval imaging appearances improved in 6 cases, deteriorated in 15, were stable in 4 and 1 patient had a mixed response. 1 patient was not re-imaged due to deterioration in performance status on therapy. The median OS was 5.5 months (0.5-16 months) from commencement of bevacizumab. Conclusions: The management of patients with recurrent HGG is challenging and prognosis remains dismal. In our unselected cohort, Bevacizumab therapy resulted in temporary or sustained steroid reduction in a majority. However, only a small number of patients demonstrated an objective radiological response and median OS was poor. Tumour response was variable and the addition of a predictive biomarker to establish which patients are likely to benefit from treatment may be helpful.