Hamdan, Dawoud

e15520 Background: Fruquintinib is a highly selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR) 1, 2, and 3, which play a critical role in angiogenesis and tumor growth. As a novel anti-angiogenic agent, Fruquintinib has demonstrated promising efficacy in the treatment of various advanced malignancies, including metastatic colorectal cancer. However, concerns about its cardiovascular safety have emerged, given that VEGFR inhibition is often associated with cardiovascular adverse events. Methods: We conducted a systematic search through PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science to identify randomized controlled trials and cohort studies that assessed the safety of Fruquintinib compared with placebo in patients with metastatic colorectal and other cancers. The evaluated outcomes included hypertension, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular accidents, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, thromboembolism, arrhythmias, aortic dissection, and superior vena cava syndrome. Two independent reviewers screened the titles/abstracts based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by a full-text review of potentially relevant studies. Any disagreements between the reviewers were resolved through consultation with a third reviewer to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the study selection. Results: Fifteen reports were included in our study. Out of 3832 patients taking Fruquintinib monotherapy, a total of 997 developed hypertension with a pooled estimate incidence of 0.329 (95% CI: 0.248, 0.410; P < 0.001). In comparison to placebo, Fruquintinib was associated with significantly higher odds of developing hypertension (OR: 6.856; 95% CI: 5.071, 9.268; P < 0.001). Compared to Regorafenib, Fruquintinib demonstrated an OR of 1.549 (95% CI: 0.804, 2.983; P = 0.191) for the development of hypertension. Additionally, patients taking Fruquintinib had a pooled estimate incidence of 0.041 (95% CI: 0.021, 0.060, P < 0.001) for thromboembolism development with an OR of 2.092 (95% CI: 0.813, 5.385; P = 0.126) compared to placebo. Other reported cardiovascular side effects included sinus tachycardia, superior vena cava syndrome, peripheral edema, heart failure, myocardial enzymes elevation, and vascular access complications. Conclusions: Our study found that Fruquintinib is associated with significant cardiovascular risks, with hypertension being the most common adverse event, while thromboembolism did not reach statistical significance. Therefore, close monitoring for treatment-related cardiovascular events should be considered in these patients.

Background Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are abnormal connections between feeding arteries and draining veins, associated with significant risks of haemorrhage, seizures and other neurological deficits. Preoperative embolization is commonly used as an adjunct to microsurgical resection, with the aim of reducing intraoperative complications and improving outcomes. However, the efficacy and safety of this approach remain controversial. Methods This study is a subanalysis of the Multicenter International Study for Treatment of Brain AVMs consortium. We retrospectively analysed 486 patients with brain AVMs treated with microsurgical resection between January 2010 and December 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent microsurgery alone (n=245) and those who received preoperative embolization, followed by microsurgery (n=241). Propensity score matching was employed, resulting in 288 matched patients (144 in each group). The primary outcomes were rates of complete AVM obliteration and functional outcomes (measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS)). Secondary outcomes included complication rates, mortality, hospital length of stay and postsurgical rupture. Results After matching, the complete obliteration rate was 97% with no significant difference between the microsurgery-only group and the preoperative embolization group (p=0.12). The proportion of patients with an mRS score of 0–2 at the last follow-up was similar in both groups (83% vs 84%; p=0.67). The median hospital stay was significantly longer for the embolisation group (9 days vs 7 days; p=0.017). Complication rates (24% vs 22%; p=0.57) and mortality rates (4.9% vs 2.1%; p=0.20) were comparable between the two groups. No significant differences were observed in postsurgical rupture, recurrence or retreatment rates. Conclusions In this large multicentre study, preoperative embolization did not significantly improve AVM obliteration rates, functional outcomes or reduce complications compared with microsurgery alone.