Vnitr Lek 2017, 63(10):672-678 | DOI: 10.36290/vnl.2017.131

The benefit of new angiogenesis (bevacizumab and aflibercept) inhibitors for multiple angiomatosis therapy: a case report

Dagmar Brančíková^1,*, Lenka Ostřížková¹, Zdeněk Adam¹, Tomáš Nebeský², Luděk Pour¹, Zdeněk Král¹, Jiří Mayer¹

¹ Interní hematologická a onkologická klinika LF MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice

² Klinika radiologie a nukleární medicíny LF MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice

Angiomatosis is a term for multiple, gradually proliferating hemangiomas (angiodysplasia), affecting multiple organs or tissues at the same time. We describe a 12-year course of treatment of a patient with multiple hemangiomas located in the abdomen, retroperitoneum, oesophagus, mediastinum and also in vertebrae. The diagnosis was made in 2005 within probatory laparotomy, at the age of 28 years. The treatment was commenced right after making the diagnosis with interferon α. Due to its adverse effects (fatigue, anorexia), the use of interferon α was limited to the first year, after which the interferon dose was gradually being reduced until it was discontinued completely. From 2006 to 2011 the treatment was based on thalidomide and temporarily also on lenalidomide. By the end of the year 2011 the patient was stabilized through the effect of these drugs, without a need of repeated blood transfusions. In 2012 his condition got worse again, which required several transfusions in one month. We tested metronomic administration of cyclophosphamide and further administration of propranolol, however neither of them improved the patient's situation. Injections of octreotide (Sandostatin 0.1 mg twice a day) helped reduce losses during bleeding into the alimentary tract. Still the patient continued to depend on blood transfusions. Therefore, in 2013, bevacizumab was added to the therapy (7.5 mg/kg in 3-week intervals). This treatment stabilized the patient, it reduced the use of transfusions for a period of 2 years, however after 2 years of a successful therapy with bevacizumab there was disease progression shown on CT imaging and hemorrhagic pleural effusion was also detected. After the treatment of hemorrhagic effusion, early in 2015 we transferred to the administration of aflibercept, at first at the dose of 4 mg/kg in 14-day intervals. Arising of massive proteinuria led to the dose reduction to 2 mg/kg while maintaining 14-day intervals. While receiving this dose, the patient tolerates aflibercept thera-py without significant adverse effects. At the time of publication, the patient has been treated with aflibercept for 24 months already, of that for the last ten months he has been fully independent of transfusions. Just before commencement of treatment with aflibercept his conditions required several transfusions in a week. This description demonstrates that the efficiency of individual medications for multiple angiomatosis is always time-limited and newly developed and more efficient drugs are needed to manage the disease. Bevacizumab and aflibercept are beneficial for patients with serious forms of multiple angiomatosis.

Keywords: aflibercept; angiomatosis; angiodysplasia; bevacizumab; hemangiomas

Received: June 5, 2017; Accepted: July 31, 2017; Published: October 1, 2017  Show citation