Efficacy of bevacizumab in the treatment of refractory brain edema of metastatic tumors from different sources

Aim: This retrospective study investigated bevacizumab in treating refractory brain edema in patients with brain-metastatic tumors from different sources. Methods: From January 2013 to December 2019, 83 patients with brain metastases and refractory brain edema were treated with bevacizumab. They were divided into lung cancer group and breast cancer group. The clinical data, the efficacy, and the side effects of bevacizumab were recorded. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after bevacizumab treatment. The volume of tumor and brain edema were measured respectively. Results: After treatment with bevacizumab, 72 cases of refractory brain edema were significantly relieved. The edema control rate was 93.75% in the lung cancer group and 77.14% in the breast cancer group (P < .05). The brain edema volume was significantly reduced after bevacizumab treatment from 198,286.84 +/- 60,564.40 to 114,677.71 +/- 42,337.38mm(3) (P < .01), and the edema index was reduced from 26.14 +/- 7.24 to 17.18 +/- 5.14 (P < .01). Hypertension was observed in 14 cases. Conclusion: Bevacizumab could significantly reduce refractory brain edema with a control rate of 86.75%. The efficacy of bevacizumab in the treatment of refractory brain edema caused by lung cancer is better than that of breast cancer.