Cited 205 times since 2012 (16.6 per year) source: EuropePMC Cancer cell, Volume 21, Issue 1, 1 1 2012, Pages 82-91 Rapid decrease in delivery of chemotherapy to tumors after anti-VEGF therapy: implications for scheduling of anti-angiogenic drugs. Van der Veldt AA, Lubberink M, Bahce I, Walraven M, de Boer MP, Greuter HN, Hendrikse NH, Eriksson J, Windhorst AD, Postmus PE, Verheul HM, Serné EH, Lammertsma AA, Smit EF

Current strategies combining anti-angiogenic drugs with chemotherapy provide clinical benefit in cancer patients. It is assumed that anti-angiogenic drugs, such as bevacizumab, transiently normalize abnormal tumor vasculature and contribute to improved delivery of subsequent chemotherapy. To investigate this concept, a study was performed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients using positron emission tomography (PET) and radiolabeled docetaxel ([(11)C]docetaxel). In NSCLC, bevacizumab reduced both perfusion and net influx rate of [(11)C]docetaxel within 5 hr. These effects persisted after 4 days. The clinical relevance of these findings is notable, as there was no evidence for a substantial improvement in drug delivery to tumors. These findings highlight the importance of drug scheduling and advocate further studies to optimize scheduling of anti-angiogenic drugs.

Cancer Cell. 2012 1;21(1):82-91