Bevacizumab in older patients and patients with poorer performance status

It is a common belief that older patients and those with less-than-ideal performance status do not tolerate chemotherapy as well as other patients. In fact, many otherwise-healthy older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer are not treated with chemotherapy. There is strong evidence that the addition of bevacizumab to the combination of irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin or to 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin has substantial clinical benefits in patients 65 years of age or older and in those with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 1 or 2. The treatment is generally well tolerated, without apparent negative effects on quality of life. However, the toxicity profile differs slightly, and the risk of arterial thrombotic events with bevacizumab-containing regimens, while relatively low, is higher in older patients than in younger patients. Clinicians should weigh the potential survival benefits against the risk of adverse events when choosing therapy for older patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and for those with poorer performance status.