Overexpression of Tumor Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A May Portend an Increased Likelihood of Progression in a Phase II Trial of Bevacizumab and Erlotinib in Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Bevacizumab plus erlotinib in heavily pretreated ovarian cancer patients was clinically active and well tolerated. Erlotinib did not seem to contribute to efficacy. Our study raises the intriguing possibility that high levels of tumor cell VEGF-A, capable of both autocrine and paracrine interactions, are associated with resistance to bevacizumab, emphasizing the complexity of the tumor microenvironment.