Bevacizumab Neoadjuvant Therapy for New High-grade Gliomas in the Brain

Overview

Glioblastoma (GBM) usually grows in a diffuse fashion and infiltrates the surrounding brain. The inability to completely excise the tumor often leads to tumor recurrence within a few months of the initial surgery, which ultimately results in the death of the GBM patient.GBM histologically appears to be a tumor of vascular origin characterized by necrosis and microvascular proliferation, and neoangiogenesis is a key factor in the growth and poor prognosis of GBM. Bevacizumab can inhibit the biological effects of VEGF, including the permeability and proliferation of blood vessels, as well as the migration and survival of endothelial cells, so as to inhibit tumor angiogenesis, growth and metastasis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in the preoperative adjuvant treatment of patients with new-onset high-grade gliomas.

Glioblastoma (GBM) usually grows in a diffuse fashion and infiltrates the surrounding brain. The inability to completely excise the tumor often leads to tumor recurrence within a few months of the initial surgery, which ultimately results in the death of the GBM patient.GBM histologically appears to be a tumor of vascular origin characterized by necrosis and microvascular proliferation, and neoangiogenesis is a key factor in the growth and poor prognosis of GBM. Therefore, inhibition of neoangiogenesis has received increasing attention from researchers as an important potential therapeutic target for GBM. Bevacizumab specifically binds to VEGF (mainly to VEGF-A), attenuates or prevents VEGF from binding to VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 on the surface of vascular endothelial cells, and blocks VEGFR-mediated downstream signaling pathways, inhibiting their biological activities, reducing tumor neovascularization and limiting tumor growth. Based on this background, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in the preoperative adjuvant treatment of patients with new-onset high-grade gliomas.