A phase II study of the combination of docetaxel and bevacizumab for previously treated non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: The standard therapies for previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include docetaxel (DOC). Bevacizumab (BV), an antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody, increases the antitumor effect of cytotoxic anticancer agents. A BV-containing combination regimen is recommended as the primary therapy for advanced non-squamous NSCLC. However, the efficacy of DOC + BV is unknown in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC. We conducted a phase II clinical study of DOC + BV for patients with previously treated advanced non-squamous NSCLC. METHODS: Twenty-three patients were enrolled in this study from June 2011 through May 2014. Chemotherapy was repeated every 21 days unless there was evidence of disease progression or intolerance to the study treatment. We assessed efficacy and toxicity. RESULTS: The median progression-free survival was 30.7 weeks. The response rate was 47.8%. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were neutropenia (20 patients, 87.0%) and febrile neutropenia (7 patients, 30.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of DOC and BV often resulted in serious neutropenia, suggesting that this regimen is difficult to tolerate.