Onkológia 5/2015

A case of a patient developed an acute coronary syndrome during the treatment with Bevacizumab

Purpose: The main objective of this publication is to highlight potential serious adverse effects which manifest themselves in patients treated by anti-angiogenic therapy. Case: The case of a 53-year old patient with a metastasized colorectal carcinoma is being presented. The patient was treated with antiangiogenic therapy (Bevacizumab) in combination with standard anti-cancer treatment. Bevacizumab had been administered continually for 3 years. During the treatment, the patient developed an acute coronary syndrome, which is attributed largely to the anti-angiogenic treatment. The patient, who had been previously in good health, presented a clinical picture of heart failure and his quality of life deteriorated dramatically. Conclusion: As a result of ever increasing use of anti-angiogenic therapy in tumour treatment, clinical oncologists deal with its adverse reactions as well. Thromboembolic complications are the least frequent, however, when undetected and mistreated, they may lead to fatal consequences for patients.

Keywords: bevacizumab, anti-angiogenic therapy, cardiotoxicity, acute coronary syndrome.