Objective: We investigated the role of bevacizumab (BV) in high-grade meningiomas (HGMs) by retrospective analysis.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 139 patients with HGMs. The chi-square test was used to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between patients who received BV and those who did not. According to whether they received BV treatment, we divided the patients into the BV group and non-BV group, and the effect of BV on PFS and OS was compared. In addition, we compared Karnofsky performance status (KPS) and steroid doses between the BV and non-BV groups.
Results: There were statistically differences in PFS and OS between the BV and non-BV groups at 12 and 36 months after surgery (P< 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in PFS and OS between the two groups at 60 months postoperatively (P> 0.05). Using survival curves drawn by the Kaplan Meier method, we found that the PFS and OS of the BV group were greater than those of the non-BV group, and the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: BV could improve PFS and OS at 12 and 36 months after surgery in patients with HGMs. In addition, BV was associated with lower preoperative steroid use.
Keywords: bevacizumab, meningiomas, peritumoral brain edema, progression-free survival, overall survival