Bevacizumab in pediatric patients: how safe is it?

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The safety profile of bevacizumab was evaluated in a cohort of children with either recurrent or poor-prognosis malignancies.

Bevacizumab was administered intravenously at the dosage of 5-10 mg/kg every 14-28 days alone or in combination with other agents. Toxicity was reported according to common toxicity criteria version 4.

Seventeen patients received a total of 156 bevacizumab doses (median 5 doses/pt) for a median treatment duration of 2 months (range 1-21). Grade II-III lymphopenia was recorded in 10 patients, while grade III proteinuria and grade I epistaxis occurred in one patient each. Grade III wound dehiscence was observed in one case and 3 severe adverse events (SAEs) were recorded: one reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) with grade IV seizures and grade IV hypertension, one grade IV hypertension and a post-operative grade IV entero-cutaneous fistula.

In the present cohort, the overall incidence of SAEs (17%) was higher than previously reported, thus, further studies should be justified to better characterize the safety profile of bevacizumab in the pediatric population.