TABLE 2.
Description of hypertensive episodes in patients receiving bevacizumab therapy.
| Hypertension diagnosis and management | No. of episodes (%) |
|---|---|
| Healthcare professional detecting hypertensive episodea | |
| Oncologist | 149 (58) |
| Nurse | 72 (28) |
| General practitioner | 25 (10) |
| Cardiologist | 15 (6) |
| Other | 27 (11) |
| Consultation with cardiologist | 90/257 episodes (35) |
| Median maximal blood pressure (range) [interquartile range], mmHg | |
| Systolic (n = 229) | 165 (20–220) [154–180] |
| Diastolic (n = 216) | 90 (55–193) [81.5–100] |
| Antihypertensive therapy initiated or modifiedb | 176/257 (68) |
| First therapy initiated | 98 (38) |
| Additional drug administered | 46 (18) |
| Class of antihypertensive changed | 37 (14) |
| Dose increased | 29 (11) |
| Type of antihypertensive drug(s)b | |
| Calcium channel blocker | 114 (44) |
| Beta blocker | 64 (25) |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor | 64 (25) |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 60 (23) |
| Thiazide diuretic | 35 (14) |
| Otherc | 9 (4) |
a
A single hypertensive episode could be detected by more than one healthcare professional.
b
Patient may receive more than one anti-hypertensive drug.
c
Alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonist (n = 6), combination of beta blocker and thiazide diuretic (n = 1), loop diuretic (n = 1), other peripheral vasodilator (n = 1).
257 hypertensive episodes (any grade) reported among 177 of the 468 analyzed patients.