Discordant somatic and germline VEGF-A genotype in a cancer patient resistant to paclitaxel/bevacizumab with chemosensitive hepatic metastasis. (August 2009)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Coltelli, Luigi; Allegrini, Giacomo; Orlandi, Paola; Giuntini, Nicola; Alìì, Greta; Fioravanti, Anna; Bona, Eleonora; Barletta, Maria Teresa; Fontanini, Gabriella; Tacca, Mario Del; Danesi, Romano; Falcone, Alfredo; Bocci, Guido
• Is Part Of: Pharmacogenomics. Volume 10:Number 8(2009)
• Page Start: 1225
• Page End: 1229
• Publication Date: 2009-08
• Subjects: bevacizumab -- genotype -- metastatic breast cancer -- paclitaxel -- VEGF-A; Pharmacogenomics -- Periodicals; 615.1
• DOI: 10.2217/pgs.09.55
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-2416

Abstract

Recent data reported an association between VEGF-A genotype of tumors and median overall survival as well as grade 3 or 4 hypertension when using bevacizumab in metastatic breast cancer. In the present case we report a discordant VEGF-A genotype between tumor and normal tissue in a patient with a responsive hepatic lesion of chemoresistant breast cancer treated with bevacizumab and paclitaxel. Moreover, we show that, despite the very low VEGF-A protein expression, the neoplastic lesion was well vascularized and responded to bevacizumab therapy. The discordance of VEGF-A polymorphisms in tumor and germline DNA may suggest the importance of obtaining both information in order to predict a superior overall survival or a lower risk of hypertension in patients treated with taxanes and bevacizumab.