The drug "Avastin" is considered an antitumor agent, which refers to monoclonal antibodies. During the use of the drug, there is a decrease in the metastatic progression of pathology and microvascular permeability in various malignant neoplasms, especially those related to the mammary gland in women, the colon, as well as the pancreas and prostate glands.
Composition of the drug
Avastin is available in the form of a concentrate, which is intended for preparing a solution for infusion, may be colorless or with a subtle brownish tint.
The main substance of the drug is bevacizumab. This tool is available in packs of 100 mg, where 4 ml of the active substance, and 400 mg / 16 ml.
Pharmacological action
"Avastin" - a drug against tumors that slows down the formation of newvessels supplying nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the neoplasm, and thereby allows the transfer of a malignant tumor from an aggressive stage to a chronic one. "Avastin" (reviews from patients and doctors - confirmation of this) has an overwhelming effect on metastases of various malignant neoplasms.
It is typical for this agent to spread through the tissues in a minimal amount, in addition, it is excreted from the body for a long time, which allows you to maintain the required amount of the main component of the drug, administering it strictly according to the instructions - once every 14-20 days. The drug is excreted not through the liver or kidneys, but through all the cells of the body for 18 days in men, and in women - 20.
But is Avastin really that good? Patient reviews say that this is a very effective drug if combined with chemotherapy for various types of cancers. This tool significantly increases the survival period in all groups of patients, while the progression of the disease does not occur.
"Avastin": indications for use
This drug is widely used in the treatment of cancer. Doctors prescribe it:
- For metastatic colorectal cancer. The drug is recommended to be used in conjunction with chemotherapy based on "Fluoropyrimidine".
- For metastatic breast cancer. Used as first line treatment in conjunction with Paclitaxel.
- Wheninoperable, highly metastatic, or non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer as first-line treatment in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy.
- For advanced or metastatic cancer affecting kidney cells - as a primary therapy in conjunction with "Interferon alfa-2a".
- Glioblastoma with radiotherapy and Temozolomide in newly diagnosed patients, alone or with Irinotecan in patients with recurrent glioblastoma or cancer progression.
- Patients diagnosed with female genital malignancy and primary peritoneal cancer. In this case, it is recommended to prescribe Avastin as the first treatment therapy in conjunction with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel.
In addition, the drug is prescribed together with Carboplatin and Gemcitabine for progressive disease or platinum-sensitive patients with cancer of the female genital organs or peritoneum who have not previously received treatment with this drug or another kind of inhibitor VEGF.
How to type "Avastin" correctly?
"Avastin" (reviews of patients and doctors confirm this) is a good drug, but it must be administered correctly, and only under the supervision of a doctor. It is strictly forbidden to enterjet - only intravenously, and then as slowly as possible. The calculation is 5 mg per 1 kg of body weight once every two weeks.
The required amount of concentrate is diluted in 100 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride. The first dose is recommended to be administered one and a half hours after chemotherapy, then an injection of Avastin is given before or after the procedure. If the patient tolerated the first injection of the drug without complications, then it can be administered further within an hour, and all subsequent injections within half an hour, but only if the second injection was well tolerated by the patient.
The dose of the drug, even in the presence of undesirable effects, is not recommended to be reduced, if necessary, the treatment is suspended or stopped.
If a patient has been diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer, then the initially recommended dose is 5 mg per kg of body weight once every 14 days or 7.5 mg/kg, but every 21 days. If the second line of therapy, then the dose is increased by 2 times.
If a woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer, in this case, as the first injection, it is recommended to calculate the drug at 10 mg / kg and inject once every two weeks. Or at three, but in this case, 15 mg per kg of body weight is taken.
If there are signs of progression of the pathology, treatment is stopped.
In case of widespread inoperable, metastatic or recurrent non-squamous or non-small cell lung cancer, treatment is carried out in conjunction with chemotherapy with Pt drugs (no more than 6 cycles), and thenthe drug is used as monotherapy.
When signs of cancer progression appear, Avastin should be discontinued. Instructions for use says: if there is no progression, then the calculation is 7.5 mg / kg every 14 days, or the dose is doubled and administered once every three weeks in addition to Cisplatin or Carboplatin.
For renal cell carcinoma, the dose should be no more than 10 mg/kg every 15 days. If there are signs of progression of the disease, then the treatment is stopped.
Elderly people do not need to adjust the dose.
Avastin Overdose
Overdose of the drug occurs most often if the patient was prescribed a large dose - 20 mg per kg of the patient's body weight once every 14 days.
In this case, migraine attacks may appear in a rather complex form, in addition, there is an increase in the undesirable effects described below. There is no specific antidote, only symptomatic therapy is used.
"Avastin" side effects
"Avastin" is a very good drug, in most cases it helps to slow down the progression of a serious disease, but very often patients experience undesirable manifestations. In rare cases, they can be quite serious:
- Perforation of the stomach and intestines.
- Internal bleeding.
- Arterial thromboembolism.
- Blood pressure rises andproteinuria develops. Most likely, this is a consequence of the dose dependence of the patient.
In addition, patients who have been prescribed Avastin have other side effects:
- deep vein thrombosis, complex heart failure, supraventricular tachycardia, bleeding;
- leukopenia, neutropenia, low hemoglobin, thrombocytopenia;
- peritoneal discomfort, indigestion, blood in stool, infectious rash in mouth, bleeding gums, bowel obstruction;
- nosebleed, lack of oxygen, pulmonary thromboembolism;
- dry skin, dermatitis, discoloration of the skin;
- loss of taste, sudden weight loss, syncope, migraine, stroke, feeling sleepy;
- visual impairment;
- pain where the drug is injected;
- Uterine bleeding, urinary tract infections, fatigue, dehydration.
Contraindications for use
Is Avastin for everyone? Patient reviews say that this is an excellent drug, but still it also has contraindications for use, and before starting therapy, the doctor must talk about them. The drug should not be prescribed in the following cases:
- if there is a special intolerance to the main active substance;
- there are infectious diseases of the eyes and periocular area;
- there are intraocularinflammatory processes;
- under 18;
- pregnancy and lactation.
In addition, if the patient has a risk of developing a stroke, then the Avastin injection is given only after the patient is carefully examined and it is concluded that the drug will be beneficial.
Special Instructions
Treatment with the drug should only be carried out by a doctor who has experience in performing intraocular injections.
After the remedy has been introduced, it is not recommended to drive a car and perform work related to mechanisms for some time, and all because transient visual impairment may develop.
"Avastin" (the manufacturer indicates this in the instructions) should be stored only in the refrigerator, and in no case should it be frozen. Available by prescription only.
How does Avastin interact with other drugs?
Drug "Avastin" is incompatible with dextrose solutions. Also, the drug may increase the risk of adverse reactions if taken together with such drugs:
- "Sunitinib malate" - microangiopathic hemolytic anemia may develop;
- platinum and taxanes - possible development of complications of infectious pathologies, severe neutropenia, increased risk of death;
- "Panitumumab" and "Cetuximab" - increases the toxic effect of drugs and leads to death.
"Avastin" in ophthalmology
Most recently, the press reported that the drug "Avastin" is used by ophthalmologists to treat eye diseases and gives very good results. But is it? What does the manufacturer say about this? Can this remedy not only stop the growth of the tumor, but also cure diseases of the organs of vision?
Yes, in fact, there is information that some patients, having heard about the benefits of the drug for the eyes, decided and made an injection of "Avastin" into the vitreous body, but the results were deplorable. The drug did not bring them any cure, on the contrary, it led to the fact that people simply went blind. Roche has repeatedly emphasized that Avastin cannot be used in ophthalmology, its purpose is different.
The drug is designed to reduce the intensity of the growth of blood vessels that feed the malignant neoplasm, thereby reducing the intensity of tumor development. That is why before starting therapy and listening to unsupported recommendations, it is better to consult a doctor.
"Avastin": analogues
As for whether there are substitutes that would have the same basic substance in their composition, Avastin does not have them. There are analogues according to the mechanism of action, and they also give good results in slowing down the growth of blood vessels and the development of cancerous tumors. These include:
- "Arzerru".
- "Campas".
- "Rituximab".
- "Mabtheru" and others
But it must be remembered that the doctor should select an analogue.
"Avastin": reviews of patients and doctors
"Avastin" (instructions for use confirms this) is the only drug that contains bevacizumab in its composition, helps to slow down the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor and thereby slow down the progression of the disease. Most of the doctors who have observed the dynamics of the disease in a particular patient say that after a couple of injections, a slowdown in tumor growth is noticeable, the main thing is to take the drug correctly and not combine it with drugs that, in combination, can cause serious harm to the patient.
Summing up, we can say for sure that "Avastin" (manufacturer - F. Hoffmann-La Roche) is excellent, which helps to prolong the life of patients with cancerous tumors. But only it must be used under the strict supervision of a doctor, otherwise the consequences may be irreversible and end sadly.
