Bevacizumab increases visual acuity in ocular melanoma patients treated with plaque radiotherapy

Source: Healio, March 2020

PHILADELPHIA — Ocular melanoma patients who received prophylactic bevacizumab with plaque radiotherapy experienced significantly better visual acuity outcomes than control patients who did not receive bevacizumab, according to a speaker here.

“The complications of plaque radiotherapy are numerous, including retinopathy, papillopathy, choroidopathy and others,” Carol L. Shields, MD, said at the Wills Eye Conference. “So, how can we prevent or maybe eliminate these complications?”

Previous studies showed that one injection of an anti-VEGF agent did not change visual outcomes for plaque radiotherapy recipients; however, Shields and her team asked if continuous bevacizumab treatment could help in 3 years.