title: Feasibility of surgery after systemic treatment with the humanized recombinant antibody bevacizumab in heavily pretreated patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to assess operative feasibility and outcome after bevacizumab treatment (BT) in ovarian cancer (OC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively identified all OC patients operated between April 2006 and September 2010 after BT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 733 OC operations, 10 of which (1.36%) were performed in a mean time of 134 days (range, 10-288) after BT. Indication was secondary cytoreduction in 3 patients (mean days after BT, 181; range, 82-256) and palliation in 7 due to bowel obstruction and/or intestinal perforation or fistula (mean days after BT, 114; range, 10-288). All but 1 acutely operated patients developed a secondary wound healing, but none of the 3 patients after planned cytoreduction did. Of these 3 patients, 1 suddenly died on the 36th postoperative day, presumably of thromboembolism. None of the patients developed postoperatively a gastrointestinal morbidity; however, in 1 patient operated 21 days after BT due to a vesicointestinal fistula the bladder reconstruction could not heal and developed a permanent fistula.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency surgery after BT due to bowel obstruction and/or fistulas seems to be associated with an impaired wound healing in advanced heavily pretreated platinum-resistant OC patients, while this does not appear the case in planned cytoreduction. Prospective evaluations are warranted to assess surgical safety after BT in this special patients' collective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, European Competence Centre for Ovarian Cancer, Charité-University Hospital, Berlin, Germany. sehouli@aol.com
authors.forename: Jalid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sehouli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papanikolaou
authors.forename: E-I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Braicu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pietzner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fotopoulou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000601:surgery*; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010166:Palliative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab