INVASIVE PULMONARY ASPERGILLOSIS FOLLOWING BEVACIZUMAB TREATMENT FOR NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor; it is actually approved for the treatment of unresectable, locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in association with chemotherapy and as maintenance therapy. Infection risk due to use of bevacizumab is a very rare event. Several cases of aspergillosis in patients treated with monoclonal antibodies have been reported, mostly following treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha blockers. We present a case of a 60 year-old patient treated for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer, who has been diagnosed with invasive aspergillosis following bevacizumab treatment, and, we postulate that bevacizumab may contribute to this infection.