Bevacizumab May Differentially Improve Prognosis of Advanced Ovarian Cancer Patients with Low Expression of VEGF-A165b, an Antiangiogenic VEGF-A Splice Variant

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Pauline Wimberger - , Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Author)
  • Mara Julia Gerber - , Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Author)
  • Jacobus Pfisterer - , Gynecologic Oncology Center (Author)
  • Kati Erdmann - , Department of Urology (Author)
  • Susanne Füssel - , Department of Urology (Author)
  • Theresa Link - , Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Author)
  • Andreas Du Bois - , University of Duisburg-Essen (Author)
  • Stefan Kommoss - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Florian Heitz - , University of Duisburg-Essen (Author)
  • Jalid Sehouli - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Rainer Kimmig - , University of Duisburg-Essen (Author)
  • Nikolaus De Gregorio - , Ulm University (Author)
  • Barbara Schmalfeldt - , University of Hamburg (Author)
  • Tjoung Won Park-Simon - , Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) (Author)
  • Klaus Baumann - , University of Marburg (Author)
  • Felix Hilpert - , Kiel University (Author)
  • Marcel Grube - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Willibald Schröder - , Klinikum Bremen-Mitte (Author)
  • Alexander Burges - , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Author)
  • Antje Belau - , University of Greifswald (Author)
  • Lars Hanker - , University Hospital Frankfurt, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein - Campus Lübeck (Author)
  • Jan Dominik Kuhlmann - , Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Author)

Abstract

Purpose: The identification of a robust IHC marker to predict the response to antiangiogenic bevacizumab in ovarian cancer is of high clinical interest. VEGF-A, the molecular target of bevacizumab, is expressed as multiple isoforms with pro- or antiangiogenic properties, of which VEGF-A165b is the most dominant antiangiogenic isoform. The balance of VEGF-A isoforms is closely related to the angiogenic capacity of a tumor and may define its vulnerability to antiangiogenic therapy. We investigated whether the expression of VEGF-A165b could be related to the effect of bevacizumab in advanced ovarian cancer patients. Experimental Design: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 413 patients of the ICON7 multicenter phase III trial, treated with standard platinum-based chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab, were probed for VEGF-A165b expression by IHC. Results: In patients with low VEGF-A165b expression, the addition of bevacizumab to standard platinum-based chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free (HR: 0.727; 95% CI, 0.538- 0.984; P = 0.039) and overall survival (HR: 0.662; 95% CI, 0.458- 0.958; P = 0.029). Multivariate analysis showed that the addition of bevacizumab in low VEGF-A165b-expressing patients conferred significant improvements in progression-free survival (HR: 0.610; 95% CI, 0.446-0.834; P = 0.002) and overall survival (HR: 0.527; 95% CI, 0.359-0.775; P = 0.001), independently from established risk factors. Conclusions: We demonstrate for the first time that bevacizumab may differentially improve the prognosis of advanced ovarian cancer patients with low expression of VEGF-A165b, an antiangiogenic VEGF-A splice variant. We envision that this novel biomarker could be implemented into routine diagnostics and may have direct clinical implications for guiding bevacizumab-related treatment decisions in advanced ovarian cancer patients.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4660-4668
Number of pages9
JournalClinical cancer research
Volume28
Issue number21
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 36001383
ORCID /0000-0003-3717-3637/work/141545171

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas