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Avastin is an antiangiogenic agent which is intended to stop the formation of blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to tumors, slowing the growth and spread of the tumors.  Along with chemotherapy, Avastin is used to treat a number of cancers, including colorectal, breast, lung and kidney cancer.  Avastin has also been used “off-label” for macular degeneration.

Common side effects of Avastin include dizziness, fainting, nosebleeds, loss of appetite, heartburn, diarrhea, weight loss, sores on the skin, headache, unusual bleeding or bruising and neck pain.  In addition, people using Avastin may suffer from very serious side effects, including kidney damage, heart attack, heart failure, gastrointestinal perforation and high blood pressure.

In July of 2010, due to the more serious side effects, members of the FDA’s oncology drug panel determined that Avastin is ineffective and unsafe for the treatment of advance breast cancer.  Specifically, the FDA found that the drug failed to extend survival, and that the risks outweighed the drug’s benefits.  As a result, the FDA recommended that Avastin’s indication for the treatment of advanced breast cancer be revoked.

Doctors have also noticed an increased rate of kidney damage in patients with renal cancer.  Due to this risk, many doctors have been advising their patients to discontinue use of the drug until the levels of protein in their urine have decreased.  Researchers have also found that cancer patients who are treated with Avastin have an increased risk of developing holes in the wall of the stomach, small intestine and large bowel.  This condition is known as gastrointestinal perforation, and can allow gastric acid to leak into the abdominal cavity and cause chemical peritonitis, a potentially deadly condition which can require emergency surgery.