By David Liu, PHD

Monday Dec 24, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Bevacizumab indicated to treat colorectal cancer is associated with an increased risk of hypertension. But patients who receive the treatment and develop hypertension live longer, according to a study in Medical Oncology.

E. Tahover from Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel and colleagues conducted the study and found that colorectal cancer patients who developed grade 2 or 3 hypertension after treated with Bevacizumab had a better overall survival and progression-free survival, compared with those who did not develop hypertension.

The study involved 181 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who were treated in the authors' department from Jan 2009 and Feb 2011.  Bevacizumab was used jointly with standard first or second-line chemotherapy and blood pressure was measured before treatment and monitored during treatment.  44.75 percent of patients developed grade 2 or 3 hypertension and no patient developed higher grade hypertension.

Colorectal cancer patients who developed hypertension after Bevacizumab treatment had a survival that was shorter than the median survival (43.7 months), but longer than 36.8 months which was for those who did not develop hypertension.

Hypertension developers had a better progression free survival than those who did not develop hypertension, 29.9 vs. 17.2 months.

The authors say "Bevacizumab-related HTN (hypertension) may represent a biomarker for clinical benefit in metastatic colorectal cancer patients."