Bevacizumab rescue therapy extends the survival in patients with recurrent malignant glioma

Objective： We retrospectively studied the efficacy of bevacizumab as salvage therapy for recurrent malignant glioma with a focus on the overall survival （OS）. Methods： Patients who received a therapy other than surgery for recurrent malignant glioma were included. Efficacy was evaluated using MRI. Neurological function was evaluated using the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology （RANO）. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results： Fifty-one patients with recurrent glioma （31 grade Ⅲ, 20 grade Ⅳ） were included. Among them, 22 subjects （43.1%） received bevacizumab. The median OS was 10.2 months （range, 1 to 27 months）. Patients receiving bevacizumab had comparable OS （a median of 9.9 vs. 10.0 months） and similar 6-month survival rate （43% vs. 34%） to those who did not receive bevacizumab. A subgroup analysis failed to notice any significant difference in grade Ⅲ glioma patients receiving bevacizumab vs. those who did not. The median survival was significantly longer at 8.9 months （range, 4 to 13 months） in grade Ⅳ glioma patients receiving bevacizumab than in those who did not （5.6 months, range, 2 to 7 months, P=0.042）. The 6-month survival rate was higher （83 %） in those who received bevacizumab than in those who did not （47 %, P=0.046）. No grade 3/4 adverse events were observed in any patient. Conclusions： Bevacizumab, as a rescue therapy, provides a survival benefit for recurrent grade IV glioma.