Use of bevacizumab in elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: Review

Significant progress has been made within the last 15 years in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Bevacizumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody, has contributed to this progress. However, in most of the published studies, particularly those using bevacizumab, the median age of patients was <65 years, thus limiting the availability of information on elderly subjects who represent more than half of all patients with CRC. The objective of this review is to analyze available data on the use of bevacizumab in elderly subjects. Results from prospective studies, pooled analyses, and observational studies have shown that the efficacy of bevacizumab is not related to age. As regards safety, only arterial adverse events are more frequently observed in elderly subjects, especially those aged >75 years. Further studies are required in elderly patients, particularly those aged >75 years. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.