Proteinuria monitoring in patients receiving bevacizumab at a community cancer center.
13 Background: The use of bevacizumab has been associated with the development of proteinuria. The manufacturer suggests monitoring for proteinuria with serial urine dipsticks. We set to evaluate the relevance and cost of this practice in a Community Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review at Albert Einstein Cancer Center. Consecutive patients treated with bevacizumab from January 2011 to March 2014 were included in the study. Primary endpoints were the incidence and grade of proteinuria under bevacizumab therapy and the implication of proteinuria in treatment (holding or cessation of bevacizumab). Secondary objectives included the association between the number of bevacizumab infusions or patient’s comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease) and the development or worsening of proteinuria. We also calculated the cost of monitoring for proteinuria in our cohort. Results: 71 patients were screened. A total of 66 patients (corresponding to 738 infusions) were included in the analysis. Typical monitoring interval was every 2 cycles. None developed nephrotic range proteinuria. One patient (1.5%) developed grade 2 proteinuria. Bevaciuzumab was discontinued due to proteinuria in 2 patients (3%): neither of them developed permanent kidney damage or required an intervention as a consequence of the proteinuria. The most common reason of bevacizumab discontinuation was progression of disease (75%). Neither the number of infusions nor concomitant comorbidities were significantly associated with the development or worsening of proteinuria (p=0.8, p>0.05 respectively). The cost of monitoring for proteinuria in our cohort was estimated at $3980. Conclusions: These results show that the development of grade 2 proteinuria, let alone grade 3, with bevacizumab is uncommon and rarely affects treatment decisions in our Community Cancer Center. We therefore question the necessity of routine monitoring for proteinuria during bevacizumab treatment.