Patterns of recurrence in patients treated with bevacizumab in the primary treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to compare the distribution of the first site of recurrence in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) who received first-line treatment with bevacizumab compared with patients who did not receive bevacizumab.

METHODS

From the Cancer Registry database at our institutions, we identified a group of patients with recurrent EOC who underwent treatment from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2010. Each patient record was evaluated to classify the site of first recurrence. Correlation between categorical variables was assessed with χ² test.

RESULTS

Two hundred ninety-two patients with advanced EOC (stage III or IV) who originally responded to chemotherapy and had a recurrence were identified. Of these, 37 (12.5%) had received postoperative chemotherapy bevacizumab, and 255 (87.5%) did not. Compared with those not treated with bevacizumab, there was a lower incidence of liver recurrence (0% vs 9%; P = 0.05) and a higher rate of lung and/or pleural recurrence (22% vs 5%; P = 0.001) and recurrence at distant sites (22% vs 9%; P = 0.03) in patients who received bevacizumab. There was no difference in the incidence of ascites at the time of recurrence between these groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who received bevacizumab as part of primary treatment for EOC had a higher rate of lung and/or pleural recurrence and a lower rate of liver recurrence. There was no difference in the rate of ascites at the time of recurrence.