The cancer-fighting drug Avastin, already linked to a number of health problems, now appears cause a greater risk of blood clot development in the veins of patients taking the drug.
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that patients who took Avastin were 33 percent more likely to develop clots in their veins, known as venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Scientists looked at 15 previous studies on 8,000 patients and found that those with colon cancer were at the greatest risk of developing VTE, with 19 percent experiencing vein clotting.
Dr. Alok Khorana, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said that it may be hard for patients and doctors to weigh the risks given that the drug is one of the most popular and effective health resources for cancer.
“Even though this report is concerning, it doesnt make me stop wanting to use Avastin,” said Khorana.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Avastin as a first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer and says the serious side effects of the drug include holes in the colon requiring surgery, stroke, heart failure and kidney damage.