Bevacizumab for choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia: Is there a decline of the treatment efficacy after 2 years?
BACKGROUND
The Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy (VIP) Study failed to prove a statistically significant benefit for myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) at the end of the second year. Therefore, we wanted to evaluate whether the early effects seen under anti-VEGF treatment can be maintained over longer follow-up intervals.


METHODS
This consecutive case series included all patients at the Centre for Ophthalmology, Tuebingen, with a 2-year follow-up after treatment with 1.25 mg of bevacizumab alone or in combination with photodynamic therapy. Twenty-one eyes from 19 patients were analyzed in the retrospective evaluation of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT).


RESULTS
Mean logMAR BCVA improved from 0.64 at baseline to 0.55 after 1 year (p = 0.32) and remained 0.55 at 2 years (p = 0.23). A subgroup analysis showed that mean logMAR BCVA in the monotherapy group improved from 0.7 to 0.5 at 2 years (n = 11, p = 0.06). In the combined therapy group, mean logMAR BCVA changed from 0.55 to 0.59 at 2 years (n = 10, p = 0.69). Mean CFT decreased significantly in both groups by 168 microm (p < 0.001) and 76 microm (p < 0.05) in the monotherapy and in the combined groups, respectively. No complications or adverse effects were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the limitations of the study design have to be acknowledged and carefully discussed, we found no obvious superiority of a combined treatment for myopic CNV, at least in terms of the functional outcome and the injection frequency. The results indicate that bevacizumab might be beneficial in the treatment of patients with CNV secondary to pathologic myopia.
Voykov
Bogomil
B
Centre for Ophthalmology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Schleichstr. 12-16, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany. bogomil.voykov@gmail.com
Gelisken
Faik
F
Inhoffen
Werner
W
Voelker
Michael
M
Bartz-Schmidt
Karl Ulrich
KU
Ziemssen
Focke
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000077362:Verteporfin; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014822:Vitreous Body
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000077362:Verteporfin; D000068258:Bevacizumab