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This was the big news at the Society of Neuro-oncology conference this weekend. There was about a 50% improvement in progression free survival by adding Avastin to the standard treatment, over using the standard treatment alone. This means that patients feel better and can take care of themeselves longer with Avastin than without.
However, the question remains when is the best time to use Avastin, right at the start or wait for recurrence. That question is not yet answered. There seems to be (but hasn't been tested yet) about the same time benefit for using at it the time of recurrence rather than at the start. (Although using it at the start allowed patients to functional at the highest level for a longer period of time. ) My own thoughts (and I am not an MD - so take it for what it is worth): My preference would be to enter a clinical trial for newly diagnosed GBM patients and hold off on the Avastin until the time of recurrence. IF you can not enter a trial, then it is a toss-up on when the best time to start Avastin would be. Either way can be argued. There are more trials (such as the Tocagen trial) that now allow you to enter after having had Avastin, so that removes one of the barriers to using Avastin upfront.
Disclosure: Genetech is a sponsor of the Musella Foundation