The drug "Avastin" is a modern remedy against tumors. It is used to treat various cancers, helps to suppress the appearance of metastases, reduce microvascular permeability and stop the further development of the disease. Currently, many people with cancer are undergoing treatment with Avastin. Reviews about him are different. There are examples of positive dynamics in the treatment of diseases, many reviews and the uselessness of the drug. In some people, Avastin causes serious side effects.
Structure
The main active ingredient of Avastin is bevacizumab. The drug is sold in the form of a concentrate, from which a solution for intravenous infusion is made. Avastin is colorless or has a light brown color. On sale you can find two types of Avastin, differing in the concentration of the main active substance: 100 mg / 4 ml and 400 mg / 16 ml.
Indications
The drug is indicated for the following diseases:
- Breast cancer in the last stages when metastases begin.
- Renal cell carcinoma.
- Colon cancer
- Non-small cell lung cancer.
- Glioblastoma (recurrent).
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a tumor in the near-macular region, diabetic rhinopathy.
- Currently, the use of Avastin in ophthalmology is gaining momentum. Reviews about the treatment of eye diseases associated with pathological vascular growth are positive.
Contraindications
In accordance with the instructions for the drug, it is not recommended to use Avastin in such cases:
- If the patient has an increased sensitivity to one of the components contained in the drug.
- During pregnancy and lactation. Studies of the effect of Avastin on this category of patients have not been conducted. It is known that the drug substances penetrate the placenta, which can lead to suppression of fetal angiogenesis. Women of childbearing age are advised to use reliable contraceptives at least six months after the end of treatment with this drug. In addition, if Avastin therapy is necessary, it is recommended that breastfeeding be discontinued, as it can cause growth and developmental disorders in the newborn. However, this has not been scientifically proven.
- Childhood.
- With renal and liver failure. Studies of the effect of the drug on this category of patients have not been conducted.
Adverse reactions
Some patients experienced side effects when treatment with Avastin was prescribed. Reviews indicate that reactions to the drug can be quite serious:
- Perforation of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Hemorrhages, including pulmonary.
- Arterial thromboembolism.
Also contains other side effects on the drug "Avastin" instructions for use. Reviews about them can be found quite often. It:
- Increased blood pressure.
- The appearance of pain and bloating in the abdomen.
- Feeling of weakness.
- Asthenia.
- Heart failure.
- Neutropenia, leukopenia, anemia.
- The appearance of nausea, vomiting, stomatitis.
- The development of anorexia.
- Rectal bleeding.
- Hypoxia
- Bowel obstruction.
- Rhinitis, shortness of breath.
- The skin becomes dry and changes color.
- Visual impairment.
- Muscle weakness.
- The development of urinary tract infection.
- Body temperature rises.
- Pain with different localization.
- Sepsis is an infection of the body.
- The hemoglobin level is reduced.
special instructions
During treatment with Avastin and at the end of its use, it is recommended to use contraceptives for another six months. The appointment of the drug, as well as the determination of its dosage can only be done by an experienced qualified specialist. The drug is incompatible with a dextrose solution.
Application
The drug "Avastin" is administered exclusively in / in the drip, the introduction of in / in the jet is strictly prohibited. Dosage depends on the type of disease. The Avastin solution needs to be made only in the conditions of the maximum sterility. The necessary dosage of Avastin should be diluted to 100 ml with 0.9% sodium chloride solution (for patients with a large weight, the total volume should be 200-250 ml).
The first infusion of Avastin should last for 90 minutes. The drug should be used after chemotherapy. If he approached after the first injection, then a second time infusion can be done 60 minutes, and a third time - 30 minutes. If side effects occur, the developers are not advised to reduce the dose of the drug. If there is a need, then you need to suspend treatment with Avastin for a while or stop it altogether.
Overdose
When prescribing Avastin at the maximum dosage (20 mg / kg body weight with a break of 2 weeks), patients may experience overdose symptoms. Some patients developed severe migraine attacks. The manifestations of side effects could intensify.
Storage conditions
The storage temperature of the drug is 2-8 degrees Celsius. Shelf life is a maximum of 24 hours. Avastin should not be frozen and shaken. The solution does not contain preservatives, so if it remains, it must be destroyed.
Controversial points: positive and negative reviews about the drug. Who to believe?
The drug "Avastin", reviews of which are both positive and absolutely negative, is more and more often prescribed by doctors every year. Its clinical effectiveness in the treatment of many types of cancer has been scientifically proven.
You can judge the effectiveness of patient treatment by reading the information on treatment with Avastin. Patient reviews consider in more detail below.
This medicine has a fairly high price. On average, it starts with 15 thousand rubles. Therefore, when patients with serious diseases encounter the prescription of this drug by their doctor, they immediately begin to look for information about Avastin, reviews of patients using this medicine, and instructions for its use.
Most often you can find information about the unauthorized treatment of Avastin in extremely severe cases. We must not forget that the doctor does not always prescribe the drug, carefully assessing all the nuances that the instruction fixes to the Avastin drug. Reviews about the positive effect of the drug in these cases are a rare occurrence. You need to be careful about your health and remember that the treatment of such serious diseases as cancer should be carried out only by a highly qualified specialist.
In each specific situation, there are many reasons why Avastin may not be suitable for the patient and not facilitate the course of the disease. Therefore, you need to think objectively, and not be guided only by negative reviews.
Consider some opinions about the treatment with this drug.
Reviews about the drug "Avastin"
As noted above, reviews about this drug are very controversial. However, many patients note that significant progress appears in the treatment of the disease. Some have a decrease in tumor size. But, unfortunately, one should not expect a full recovery. Avastin can only prolong the patient’s life and make it more comfortable.
There are many cases of side effects. Most often, there is an increase in headaches, jumps in blood pressure. Injections of Avastin into the eye in some patients led to visual impairment and even complete blindness.
In the USA, there was a serious scandal over the use of Avastin for the treatment of macular degeneration. Injections of the drug into the vitreous body led to the appearance of a complete set of side effects. In 16 patients, serious infections were introduced into the eyeball. Some developed absolute blindness. But Avastin continues to be used both in the USA and in Europe. Such widespread use of the drug, not according to indications, is associated not with illegal promotion, but with the cheapness of the drug compared to the legal “Lucentis” approved for the treatment of retinal dystrophy.
The difference in price of these drugs is significant. While in the USA the price of Avastin is $ 50, the price of Lucentis is $ 2,000. Note that from the point of view of the appearance of complications and side effects, as well as the development of endophthalmitis, “Lucentis” is not ideal. That is why many people take risks and buy the unofficial Avastin.
According to many doctors, the thing is in the technique of administering funds. Research is needed in this area. Some of them have already been made. So, a comparison was made of the effects of bevacizumab and ranibizumab (the active substances Avastina and Lucentis, respectively). There were two studies, but their results were controversial, because bevacizumab was safer in the first and ranibizumab in the second.
To date, in Russia, the drug is prohibited for use in ophthalmology. But you can still find a seller and a doctor who will give the injection. Ophthalmologists prefer Avastin, as commerce continues to flourish in domestic medicine. After all, attracting the patient’s attention to a cheaper option is much easier.
It should be noted that many patients with AMD have seen significant improvements after they received Avastin injections in the eye. Reviews on the dynamics of treatment are positive. For several injections of the drug, swelling of the eye subsided, an improvement in visual acuity was observed. Therapy gives a positive effect not immediately, but after side effects have passed. In addition, it is completely pointless to expect a visible positive effect after the first injection of the drug.
Avastin + chemotherapy: reviews, treatment
Unlike conflicting reviews about the use of the drug in ophthalmology, studies have shown the effectiveness of Avastin in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Using standard chemotherapy regimens, Avastin helps to reduce the size of a colon tumor. In addition, such therapy leads to the disappearance of liver metastases in 78% of patients. As a result, about a third of the patients were given the opportunity to undergo surgery, which in a positive scenario can save their lives.
Also, during the study, it was found that Avastin is as effective for elderly patients as it is for young patients.
The use of capecitabine together with the drug helps to increase the life expectancy of patients with colorectal cancer by three to five years.
It also helps to prolong life and reduce the formation of metastases in breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer such a combination: Avastin + chemotherapy. Reviews about this treatment are positive. However, the situation is similar: the probability of a full recovery is minimal.
Clinical efficacy
- Colorectal cancer - with the combined treatment of Avastin with IFL (irinotecan, fluorouracil, leucovorin) prolongs survival by about 5 months. The use of Avastin along with chemotherapy allows you to increase life expectancy by about 4 months.
- Metastatic breast cancer. Infusions of Avastin 10 mg / kg with a break of 2 weeks together with paclitaxel significantly increase the possibility of stopping the development of the disease. Such treatment significantly improves the effect of chemotherapy.
- Non-small cell lung cancer. Avastin treatment together with chemotherapy (based on the platinum drug) increase the possibility of survival and increase life expectancy.
- Renal cell carcinoma. The use of Avastin together with interferon alfa-2a prolongs the survival period compared with the use of interferon alfa-2a only.
- The fourth stage of malignant glioma. After preliminary radiation therapy, treatment with Avastin allows you to extend life by almost six months.
Thus, Avastin is a modern drug intended for the treatment of various tumors. The effect of the drug has not yet been fully investigated. However, it is increasingly being prescribed by doctors in the treatment of many types of cancer.
Avastin is also used in ophthalmology, where it gives the most pronounced positive effect in the treatment of AMD. The drug is quite expensive, in addition, it can cause many side effects. In general, the reviews after using Avastin are positive, but there are also negative ones.
For some patients, Avastin was completely useless, and for some it caused serious side effects. Therefore, only a qualified doctor should prescribe the drug, with the mandatory consideration of all possible individual patient reactions to the components of the drug. In addition, infusions should be carried out under sterile conditions. Cancer is a serious disease that can be fatal. The use of Avastin does not give a 100% guarantee of cure, but it can suspend the progression of the disease and prolong the patient's life. And this is already a big deal for patients with fatal diseases!