Abstract
BackgroundBevacizumab is an exogenous inhibitor which inhibits the biological activity of human VEGF. Several studies have investigated the effectiveness of bevacizumab therapy according to different cancer types but these days there is an intense debate on its utility. We have investigated different methods to find the best tumor volume estimation since it creates the possibility for precise and effective drug administration with a much lower dose than in the protocol.Materials and MethodsWe have examined C38 mouse colon adenocarcinoma and HT-29 human colorectal adenocarcinoma. In both cases, three groups were compared in the experiments. The first group did not receive therapy, the second group received one 200 μg bevacizumab dose for a treatment period (protocol-based therapy), and the third group received 1.1 μg bevacizumab every day (quasi-continuous therapy). Tumor volume measurement was performed by digital caliper and small animal MRI. The mathematical relationship between MRI-measured tumor volume and mass was investigated to estimate accurate tumor volume using caliper-measured data. A two-dimensional mathematical model was applied for tumor volume evaluation, and tumor- and therapy-specific constants were calculated for the three different groups. The effectiveness of bevacizumab administration was examined by statistical analysis.ResultsIn the case of C38 adenocarcinoma, protocol-based treatment did not result in significantly smaller tumor volume compared to the no treatment group; however, there was a significant difference between untreated mice and mice who received quasi-continuous therapy (p = 0.002). In the case of HT-29 adenocarcinoma, the daily treatment with one-twelfth total dose resulted in significantly smaller tumors than the protocol-based treatment (p = 0.038). When the tumor has a symmetrical, solid closed shape (typically without treatment), volume can be evaluated accurately from caliper-measured data with the applied two-dimensional mathematical model.ConclusionOur results provide a theoretical background for a much more effective bevacizumab treatment using optimized administration.
Highlights
In the case of C38 adenocarcinoma, protocol-based treatment did not result in significantly smaller tumor volume compared to the no treatment group; there was a significant difference between untreated mice and mice who received quasi-continuous therapy
Bevacizumab (Avastin) [1] is an exogenous inhibitor, which inhibits the biological activity of human VEGF [2]
The majority of debate over Avastin is about breast cancer because, in 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the approval of Avastin for breast cancer treatment in the absence of decisive therapeutic benefit; several clinical trials suggested that Avastin can be effective in breast cancer treatment [6, 7]
Summary
Bevacizumab (Avastin) [1] is an exogenous inhibitor, which inhibits the biological activity of human VEGF [2]. Due to the collaboration between medical doctors and biomedical engineers, model-based treatment protocols can be created. These model-based protocols can be more effective than the current ones, since they provide individual treatment for the patients. Several studies have investigated the effectiveness of bevacizumab therapy according to different cancer types but these days there is an intense debate on its utility. We have investigated different methods to find the best tumor volume estimation since it creates the possibility for precise and effective drug administration with a much lower dose than in the protocol
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