"Did Avastin Prolong or Shorten My Son's Life?"

St. Paul, MN"In 2008 my son was diagnosed with a brain tumor," says John (not his real name). "After 31 radiation treatments the tumor was gone, but it came back and he was treated with a number of anti-cancer drugs, including Avastin." John's son lost his battle with brain cancer in October 2009. He was twelve years old.

John took a six-month leave of absence after his son passed away. As anyone whose child has died knows, you never get over the loss. And John will likely never get over wondering if Avastin prolonged or shortened his son's life; if the anti-cancer drug that was given in conjunction with chemotherapy helped or hindered.

"My son was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor called DIPG," says John. "After the oncologists determined that the tumor had returned, after all the radiation treatments, we were accepted for treatment with an experimental growth inhibitor that was FDA-approved for clinical trial at Abbott Northwestern hospital, National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD.

"We flew back and forth every month; he would have more MRIs, and more visits with the oncologist. After eight trips they said the tumor had grown back so he was no longer eligible for the clinical trial.

"He was then treated with traditional chemotherapy and Avastin, and he was also given Accutane to treat inflammation on the brain. But three or four months later, the tumor was showing progression and enhancement. Our last option was another experimental drug called Nimotuzmab, which is made in Cuba, but obtained through Canada. We received this anti-tumor, antibody drug on a compassionate basis because of the enormous cost: $60,000 per treatment, and that is just for the pharmacy charge alone. After two treatments the oncologist said the tumor was still progressing and asked us what we wanted to do. We said that was enough and started hospice care in July 2009.

"He passed away peacefully at home with his mum and dad, sister and little brother at our side.

"My son was on so many chemotherapy drugs and experimental drugs. I know that Avastin did not help, but I don't know if he could have lived any longer without it."

Avastin is the world's best-selling cancer drug and is approved for several types of colon, lung, kidney and brain cancer. In December 2010, the FDA ruled that the anti-cancer drug is ineffective for treating breast cancer and began proceedings to revoke Avastin's approval for breast cancer treatment. Avastin is still available in the US and many other countries for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer). John's son was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an inoperable tumor that is located in the pons (middle) of the brain stem.

Meanwhile, some oncologists said they were reducing use of Avastin, citing its "huge" costs, disappointing benefits and frequent side effects. According to Bloomberg (02/23/11) Avastin has generated more revenue for Roche, the manufacturer, than any other cancer drug, so Avastin's failure to win FDA approval in the treatment of breast cancer is a blow to Roche. "Governments in Europe and U.S. insurers are questioning its annual cost of as much as $100,000," and the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in London has refused to recommend the drug for any tumor type.