Lung Cancer Drug Also Fights Brain Cancers

U.S. scientists say a relatively new type of drug that shrinks cancerous tumors by cutting off their blood supply can slow the growth of brain cancer.

Duke University Medical Center researchers say their findings marks the first time the drug Avastin has been tested against the most common and deadly form of brain cancer. The drug, whose chemical name is bevacizumab, is used to treat lung and colorectal cancers.

The researchers tested the effectiveness of Avastin in conjunction with a standard chemotherapy agent in patients with recurrent cancerous brain tumors called gliomas. They found the two drugs together halted tumor growth up to twice as long as comparative therapies.

Although gliomas remain incurable in nearly all cases, the combined drug therapy might extend life and preserve physical and mental function longer for patients suffering from the deadly cancer, the researchers said.

These results are exciting because of the possible implications for a patient population that currently has the poorest possible prognosis going into treatment — those with malignant brain tumors that have recurred after initial treatment, said Dr. James Vredenburgh, lead researcher in the study.

The findings appear in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.