The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved multiple systemic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors since 2004 to treat various malignancies. Inhibition of the VEGF signaling pathway can result in impairment of vascular wall integrity through medial degeneration and endothelial dysfunction, potentially resulting in arterial (including aortic) aneurysm/dissection. We performed a postmarketing review to evaluate arterial aneurysm/dissection as a potential safety risk for patients with cancer treated with VEGF inhibitors. We searched the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database and literature for reports of arterial (including aortic) aneurysm/dissection with VEGF inhibitors currently approved by the FDA for a cancer indication. We identified 240 cases of arterial aneurysm/dissection associated with VEGF inhibitors. The median time to onset of an arterial aneurysm/dissection event from the initiation of a VEGF inhibitor was 94 days (range 1-1955 days). Notably, 22% (53/240) of cases reported fatal outcomes related to arterial aneurysm/dissection. We determined the drug-event association as probable in 15 cases that lacked relevant confounding factors for arterial aneurysm/dissection, which is supported by unremarkable computed tomography (CT) findings prior to starting VEGF inhibitor therapy, despite nondrug-associated background arterial aneurysm/dissection generally demonstrating preexisting arterial abnormalities. FAERS and literature case-level evidence suggests that VEGF inhibitors may have contributed to arterial aneurysm/dissection, as a class effect, based on short onset relative to natural history of disease and biologic plausibility. Cardiovascular and oncology healthcare professionals should be aware of this rare, but life-threatening safety risk associated with VEGF inhibitors.
Keywords: arterial aneurysm; arterial dissection; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).