Background: Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor. Severe pulmonary haemorrhage (PH) is a rare but serious potential adverse event associated with bevacizumab therapy for advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: A panel of expert oncologists, pulmonologists and radiologists reviewed the available data to identify predictive factors for PH in order to help guide physicians using bevacizumab in patients with NSCLC.
Results: Patients with NSCLC are at an increased risk of PH owing to the underlying disease process. Patients with squamous histology and/or a history of grade ≥ 2 haemoptysis (≥ 2.5 ml per event) should not receive bevacizumab. No clinical or radiological features (including cavitation and central tumour location) reliably predict severe PH in bevacizumab-treated patients. Major blood vessel infiltration and bronchial vessel infiltration, encasement and abutting may predict PH; however, standardised radiological criteria for defining infiltration have not been established. Eligibility for bevacizumab is not affected by patient age, performance status or anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy.
Conclusions: An individualised risk-benefit assessment should be undertaken in all patients with NSCLC in whom bevacizumab is being considered. Further research is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying PH and the clinical risk factors.