A New Therapeutic Strategy for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer―Bevacizumab beyond Progressive Disease

Treatment beyond progressive disease (PD) is a concept that even after drugs become ineffective, their continued use is more beneficial for patients than their discontinuation. In recent years, a concept of bevacizumab beyond PD (BBP) has attracted attention in the treatment of various cancers, and the usefulness of this concept has been evaluated. BBP has been proven to prolong overall survival (OS) in recurrent colorectal cancer and progression-free survival (PFS) in recurrent breast and lung cancers. With regard to the treatment of ovarian cancer, the MITO16/MaNGO-OV2B study (the Multicenter Phase III Randomized Study with Second Line Chemotherapy Plus or Minus Bevacizumab in Patients with Platinum Sensitive Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Recurrence After a Bevacizumab/Chemotherapy First Line) was conducted in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrence and the JGOG3023 study (the Open-Label, Randomized, Phase II Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Standard of Care with or Without Bevacizumab in Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Patients Previously Treated with Bevacizumab for Front-Line or Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer) was conducted in patients with platinum-resistant recurrence. The MITO16/MaNGO-OV2B study, reported in the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, showed that BBP achieved prolonged PFS. In the JGOG3023 study, enrollment of patients was completed in December 2018, and the follow-up period has been initiated. Proving the effectiveness of BBP in the treatment of ovarian cancer may provide a new therapeutic strategy and contribute to improved treatment outcomes in patients with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options.