Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are responsible for hemorrhagic strokes, particularly in children and young adults. They can also be responsible for chronic neurological disorders: motor or sensory deficits, disturbances of higher functions, epilepsy or disabling headaches. The management of brain AVMs is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach in an expert center. Available therapies include endovascular embolization, neurosurgical resection and/or radiosurgery. These procedures carry a risk of neurological complications, and are reserved for small AVMs located at a distance from highly functional cerebral structures. To date, no drug therapy is recommended if interventional treatment is not possible.
Several studies on resected brain AVM tissue have demonstrated that these malformations are the site of significant evolutionary inflammatory and neo-angiogenesis processes. Other studies have specifically shown that VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) levels are increased in AVMs. More recently, a pre-clinical study showed that anti-angiogenic treatment with Bevacizumab reduced vascular proliferation within AVMs in mice. Finally, a Phase II clinical trial in patients with Rendu-Osler disease (a genetic vascular disorder characterized by recurrent epistaxis, cutaneous telangiectasia and the presence of visceral AVMs) showed a clinical benefit of IV Bevacizumab on the symptomatology of these vascular malformations, with a reduction in the risk of hemorrhage and the extent of hepatic arteriovenous shunts. A randomized Phase III trial is currently underway (NCT03227263) to assess the efficacy of IV Bevacizumab in Rendu-Osler disease.
The aim of our study is to assess the efficacy of IV Bevacizumab on the disabling symptoms associated with symptomatic brain AVMs.