The usefulness of bevacizumab for relief from symptomatic malignant ascites in patients with heavily treated recurrent ovarian cancer

Aim Accumulation of ascites fluid is a major obstacle in the late phase of epithelial ovarian cancer. However, there is no consensus on a specific treatment for malignant ascites. The present study evaluated the clinical benefit of half-dose bevacizumab therapy (7.5 mg/kg every 3-4 weeks). Methods This was a single-arm interventional study performed at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital. Four patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer and symptomatic malignant ascites were no longer considered candidates for standard chemotherapy. As a palliative approach, half-dose bevacizumab therapy (7.5 mg/kg every 3-4 weeks) was used with informed consent. The clinical data of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results All patients had been heavily pretreated and showed progressive disease. Thus, standard chemotherapy was no longer feasible, and palliative paracentesis for malignant ascites was clinically needed. Among the four patients, three did not require additional paracentesis after bevacizumab therapy, and there were no adverse events. One patient needed paracentesis owing to lymphorrhea. Conclusion The use of bevacizumab therapy as a palliative approach for malignant ascites might be an option in patients with terminal-stage ovarian cancer. However, further evaluation is needed with regard to the possibility of severe side effects and medical expenses.