Cancer: Widespread Drug May Harm Kidneys
June 13th 2010 -
Cancer patients receiving the drug bevacizumab, have an increased risk of severe kidney damage. The chemotherapy with the antibody may lead to the release proteins from the kidney and the urine is excreted. This side effect of bevacizumab found by physicians of Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York, United States. They had analyzed data from more than 12,000 patients.
A loss of protein in the urine – proteinuria was a so-called – known as adverse effects of bevacizumab. So far, however, was not clear how often it occurs and what effect it has on the kidneys. included in the new analysis, the data from 16 studies involving 12 268 cancer patients entered a severe proteinuria to 2.2 percent of men and women. The risk for the dangerous protein loss was increased up to 4.79-fold when patients were given standard chemotherapy in addition to the antibody. By nearly eight times higher was the risk of suffering from a nephrotic syndrome that is associated with proteinuria among others, high cholesterol and swelling.
Patients with existing kidney problems or kidney cancer are particularly affected by the side effects of the drug, said the study leader Dr. Shenhong Wu. The condition of these people must be monitored carefully by their doctors, if a therapy is carried out with bevacizumab.
Bevacizumab is a genetically engineered antibody that inhibits the growth factor VEGF. This will make fewer blood vessels that supply the tumor with nutrients – the cancer growth is inhibited.
Tags: bevacizumab, kidney damage, nephrotic syndrome, proteinuria, side effect, widespread drug
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