Lynparza and Avastin Combination Treatment

Apr 06, 2021

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During your consultation, your doctor likely discussed about Lynparza and Avastin care plan used for treating your cancer.

What is Lynparza and Avastin maintenance therapy, and how does it work?

Avastin, also called Bevacizumab, is a targeted therapy treatment. It is a “Monoclonal antibody” that binds or attaches and inhibits or blocks growth factors that are important for new blood vessels to form which can be one of the ways the cancer grows. Therefore, this can stop cancer cells’ growth.

Lynparza, also called Olapraib, is a PARP inhibitor. It inhibits PARP – an enzyme which is involved in DNA repair and thus growth of cells. Lyparza works by blocking Cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA.

Who gets this regimen:

Please note that this is Maintenance therapy. Maintenance therapy is used for those patients who have already had a response to initial therapy. 

This regimen is mainly given as a “maintenance therapy” to patients with ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer with 

1. Advanced or stage 4, 
2. who achieved complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based (Carboplatin) chemotherapy, and 
3. whose cancer is associated with homologous recombination deficiency positive status defined by either a deleterious BRCA mutation, and/or genomic instability. (This test is done on the tumor specimen.)

How is this regimen given?

·       Bevacizumab or Avastin is given through an IV or infusion port. It is administered every three weeks. Each three weeks constitutes a cycle. Each session lasts for about 30-60 minutes. This is usually continued for 1-2 years of maintenance as long as it is tolerated well and there is no progression or regrowth of cancer.  

. Olaparib or Lynparza tablets are taken twice a day by mouth. This is continued for up to 2 years or until disease worsens or a patient experiences unacceptable side effects. The tablets can be taken with or without food and should be taken at around the same time every day. 

Please tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbal supplements and over-the-counter medicines, to make sure they won’t interfere with your treatment.

Feel free to watch this video as many times as you would like or email for the transcript to read. 

In Video 2, we will go over some of the common side effects from this treatment and how to manage them at home or by calling your doctor if there are serious side effects. 

If you have any additional questions, please call your doctor’s office.

Thank You and Good Luck.

Advanced ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer

Lynparza plus Avastin Combination

Hi… I am Laura.  I’m a patient navigator.   

During your consultation, your doctor (Show picture Oncologist) discussed about Lynparza and Avastin for treating your cancer.

What are side effects?

All medications have side effects – unwanted effects of the medication. It is also important to remember you may not have every side effect related to each medicine of the combination therapy.

You should call your doctor if you have:

• Shortness of breath or persistent cough which is of new onset. This may indicate “pneumonitis”, a rare side effect of Olaparib/ Lynparza.  
• Temperature over 100.4 degree Fahrenheit.
• Excessive diarrhea that is defined by equal to or more than 4 loose stools per day despite taking anti-diarrheal medication prescribed by your doctor. 
• Diarrhea that is accompanied by significantly reduced urine output, dizziness upon standing up and low blood pressure.  
• Abdominal pain, excessive nausea and vomiting, fatigue and deep yellow skin and urine. This may indicate liver toxicity or bowel issues associated with either medication.
• Swelling of legs associated with pain especially, if one sided. This may indicate blood clots that can be precipitated by Avastin. 

Studies show that patients receiving Lynparza and Avastin combination have a higher risk of having blood clots compared to those receiving Avastin alone. 

• Stroke like symptoms (e.g. sudden onset of weakness/ numbness on one side of the body, sudden unexplained speech disturbance) may indicate a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or Stroke. Rarely, this could be precipitated by Avastin. 
• Increased Blood Pressure is a common side effect of Avastin. If you are monitoring your BP at home and if it is unusually elevated compared to baseline, please call your doctor. Your doctor may use blood pressure medications to control it. Controlling your blood pressure and maintaining it in a healthy range is crucial while on Avastin. 

The most common side effects are:

• Fatigue 
• Nausea / vomiting
• Anemia, low white blood cell and lymphocyte count
• Urinary tract infections
• Headache. 
• Increased Protein in the urine (proteinuria) is a side effect of Avastin. Your doctor will monitor your urine samples for protein before you get Avastin. For this reason, you will be asked to give a urine sample prior to every treatment with Avastin. 
• Based on animal studies, LYNPARZA can cause fetal harm. Therefore, a pregnancy test is recommended for women of childbearing age prior to initiating treatment. Women of reproductive age should use effective contraception during treatment and for 6 months following the last dose.

Please call your doctor if you don’t feel well and if side effects don’t reduce or go away after medications prescribed your doctor.  

Please tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbal supplements and over-the-counter medicines, to make sure they won’t interfere with your treatment.

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse about all your side effects so that they can help you manage them. For managing a specific side effect, please watch our symptom specific video.

Feel free to watch this video as many times as you would like or email us for the transcript to read.

If you have any additional questions, please call your doctor’s office

Thank You and Good Luck.