Reversible skeletal changes after treatment with bevacizumab in a child with cutaneovisceral angiomatosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome

• Published in: Pediatric Blood & Cancer Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 418 - 420
• Main Authors: Smith, Angela R., Hennessy, Jane M., Kurth, Margaret A. Heisel, Nelson, Stephen C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.09.2008
• Subjects: Angiogenesis Inhibitors - adverse effects; Angiogenesis Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Angiomatosis - complications; Angiomatosis - drug therapy; Antibodies, Monoclonal - adverse effects; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; avastin; Bevacizumab; Bone Diseases - chemically induced; bony toxicity; CAT syndrome; Humans; Infant; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - antagonists & inhibitors
• DOI: 10.1002/pbc.21597
• ISSN: 1545-5009

Cutaneovisceral angiomatosis with thrombocytopenia (CAT) syndrome is a rare vascular disorder of the skin and gastrointestinal tract for which there is no standard treatment. We present a case in which a child with CAT syndrome was treated with bevacizumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor, and subsequently developed asymptomatic metaphyseal bone lesions. Though not previously described as a side effect, we hypothesize that the use of bevacizumab in a child with active epiphyseal growth plates caused these radiographic lesions. Because of the potential for altered bone growth and metabolism, children receiving VEGF inhibitors should be monitored closely for bony toxicity. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;51:418–420. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.