Today sees the landmark report that blocking blood vessels in NF2 vestibular schwannomas with the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) reduced tumor growth, and in some patients even improved hearing. The paper from Dr. Scott Plotkin and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital is truly groundbreaking in reporting evidence of the first potentially effective drug therapy for the treatment of NF2 tumors.
The Children’s Tumor Foundation helped support this research, and Dr. Scott Plotkin and collaborator Dr. Emmanuelle Di Tomaso, reported early findings in these studies at the Children’s Tumor Foundation’s 2008 NF Conference. The full study is published in the July 23 issue of the NEJM. The story has been covered by multiple news outlets.
