Avastin tackles retinoblastoma

Bevacizumab (Avastin) has been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and growth of retinoblastoma, according to results of a study published in the July 2008 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Sun Young Lee, MD of the department of ophthalmology at University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea and colleagues studied the effect of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent on retinoblastoma in vitro, with human cells, and in vivo, in rodent models.

The mean standard increased cell proliferation in the in vitro human cell culture was suppressed by 58% following the introduction of bevacizumab; in the in vivo rodent model, after four weeks of twice weekly intraperitoneal injections, bevacizumab reduced the growth of retinoblastomas by 75% and did not induce significant systemic toxicity.

The researchers concluded that, as bevacizumab demonstrated a significant suppression of angiogenesis and growth of retinoblastoma in both in vitro and in vivo models, the compound is likely to be beneficial in the treatment of retinoblastoma.