Adding the drug Avastin to standard chemotherapy does not help older lung cancer patients live longer, according to disappointing findings of new research on treatments for the life-threatening disease.
Six years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved adding the drug (also known as bevacizumab) to the standard chemotherapy regimen for lung cancer patients. But the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found it did not lead to longer life for patients over the age of 65 enrolled in Medicare.
The study, conducted by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers, tracked patients who received bevacizumab – along with carboplatin and paclitaxel therapy – and compared them to others who did not receive Avastin.
They found that both groups of patients had roughly the same odds of surviving a year.
"The addition of bevacizumab did not provide any substantial survival advantage when added to standard chemotherapy," said lead researcher Dr. Deborah Schrag
Funding for the study was provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Cancer Institute.