Ncog-08. bevacizumab alone versus bevacizumab plus irinotecan in patients with recurrent glioblastoma: a nationwide population-based study

Abstract INTRODUCTION There is no established treatment for recurrent glioblastoma. For the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma, the antiangiogenic antibody, bevacizumab, is used either alone or in combination with Irinotecan. This study aimed to compare the survival of patients receiving bevacizumab monotherapy (BEV) and those receiving bevacizumab plus irinotecan combination therapy (B+I) in recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), using a nationwide population-based dataset. METHODS Patients matching the ICD code C71.x were screened from the national database. From January 2008 to November 2021, 846 patients who had undergone surgery or biopsy and received concurrent chemoradiotherapy with Temozolomide were included. Of these, 450 received BEV, while 396 received B+I. The patients' demographic characteristics, inpatient stay duration, prescription frequency, and survival outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The BEV group was older and had a higher percentage of females compared to the B+I group. The survival analysis revealed no significant difference in survival times between the two groups in the univariate and multivariate analysis. Younger age, female gender, and having surgery rather than biopsy were associated with better prognosis. CONCLUSION This study found no significant difference in overall survival between bevacizumab monotherapy and bevacizumab plus irinotecan combination therapy in patients with recurrent GBM. Considering the additional potential toxicity associated with irinotecan, bevacizumab monotherapy may be a suitable treatment option.