Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Tumor Treating Field Therapy in Combination with Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma
Published on: October 27, 2014
Evaluation of hypertension as a marker of bevacizumab efficacy
Rebekah Ryanne Wu1, Peter A Lindenberg, Rebecca Slack
1Department of Internal Medicine, Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20007, USA. rrf103@gunet.georgetown.edu
Background:
Predictive factors for efficacy of vascular endothelial growth factor pathway-targeted therapies have not been identified or confirmed. Hypertension has been observed as a side effect to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy. The goal of our study was to retrospectively assess if hypertension induced during treatment with bevacizumab was associated with clinical outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with bevacizumab.
Patients And Methods:
We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with colorectal cancer treated with bevacizumab at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2004 to 2008.
Results:
Eighty-four patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were eligible. Eighteen patients (21%) developed grades 3 hypertension. Twelve patients (14%) developed grade 2 hypertension. Six patients (7%) developed grade 1 hypertension. Median overall survival (OS) was 29 months and progression-free survival (PFS) was 10 months. Patients with any grade hypertension while on bevacizumab had an adjusted hazard ratio for death of 0.32 (p = 0.03) and adjusted risk of progression of 51% (p = 0.02) compared to those without hypertension (HTN). When stratified by metastatic disease, patients presenting with metastases who developed HTN had better OS and PFS (p = 0.03 and 0.01.) Among patients without metastases at diagnosis, those with HTN on bevacizumab had better OS and PFS but results were not statistically significant (p = 0.60 and 0.62, respectively).
Conclusions:
Our data indicate that bevacizumab-induced hypertension may represent an interesting prognostic factor for clinical outcome in advanced colorectal cancer patients receiving bevacizumab.
Related Concept Videos
Hypertension III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Measurement of Blood Pressure
Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Assessing Blood Pressure
Special considerations while measuring blood pressure
Monitoring Both Arms:
Monitoring BP in both arms during the initial assessment is advisable, as the systolic value may differ by five to ten mm Hg between arms. For subsequent BP assessments, use the arm with the higher reading.
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Errors occurring during blood pressure monitoring
Several factors...