PDCT-15. EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF BEVACIZUMAB IN TREATING RECURRENT PEDIATRIC LOW-GRADE GLIOMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF PATIENT OUTCOMES
Abstract BACKGROUND Although rare, the propensity for pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) to recur despite upfront intervention presents a management conundrum for clinicians. One novel salvage option is anti-angiogenic bevacizumab, however, its safety and efficacy in this specific demographic is poorly defined. Correspondingly, our aim was to pool systematically-identified metadata in the literature to substantiate the clinical relevance of bevacizumab in treating recurrent pLGG. METHODS Searches of 7 electronic databases from inception to June 2019 were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened against pre-specified criteria. The incidence of loss was then pooled by random-effects meta-analysis of proportions. RESULTS Six pertinent studies described the outcomes of 110 recurrent pLGG patients managed with bevacizumab. While on-treatment, the rate of clinical response was 58% (95% CI, 43–72%), and the rate of radiographic response was 80% (95% CI, 58–96%). Additionally, the rate of serious adverse events (Grade 3 and above) was 11% (95% CI, 5–18%), with proteinuria the most common of those events. By the time patients were off-treatment, the rate of progression was estimated to be 51% (95% CI, 28–74%). Certainty of these results ranged from very low to low. CONCLUSIONS The use of bevacizumab as therapy for recurrent pLGG appears to confer appreciable clinical and radiographic response with relatively low serious adverse events risk while on-treatment. However, the long-term off-treatment benefits of this therapy have yet to be consolidated. Traditional clinical heterogeneity concerns preclude the formalization of any recommendations until larger, more standardized investigations can be performed.