Cancer drugs A to Z list
Bevacizumab is a targeted cancer drug called an angiogenesis inhibitor. It targets a cancer cell protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This protein helps cancers grow blood vessels so they can get food and oxygen from the blood. All cancers need a blood supply to survive and grow.
Bevacizumab blocks this protein and stops the cancer from growing blood vessels, so it is starved and can't grow.
Find out more about anti angiogenic drugs
You might have bevacizumab on its own or in combination with another drug. This depends on the type of cancer you have.
You have bevacizumab as a drip into your bloodstream.
You might have treatment through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest. The tube stays in place throughout the course of treatment. This can be a:
central line
PICC line
portacath
You might have treatment through a thin short tube (a cannula) that goes into a vein in your arm. You have a new cannula each time you have treatment.
Read more about having treatment into a vein
You have bevacizumab as cycles of treatment. This means that you have the drug and then a rest to allow your body to recover.
You have the first dose of bevacizumab over 90 minutes. If you don't have any problems, you have the second dose over 60 minutes. If you don't have any problems, you have the third dose over 30 minutes. Every dose after that takes 30 minutes.
You usually have bevacizumab every 2 to 3 weeks. How many treatments you need depends on the type of cancer you have.
You have blood tests before and during your treatment. They check your levels of and other substances in the blood. They also check how well your liver and kidneys are working.
Before treatment starts you may have a blood test to check for viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. This is called a viral screen.
It’s important for your doctor to know if you have had any of these viruses. This is because this treatment can weaken your and can cause the virus to become active again (reactivation).
Side effects can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatments you're having.
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:
you have severe side effects
your side effects aren’t getting any better
your side effects are getting worse
Early treatment can help manage side effects better.
We haven't listed all the side effects here. Talk to your healthcare team if you have any new symptoms that you think might be a side effect of your treatment.
Remember it is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects. But you might have some of them at the same time.
These side effects happen in more than 10 in 100 people (more than 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
Tell your doctor or nurse if you have headaches, nosebleeds, blurred or double vision or shortness of breath. You have your blood pressure checked regularly.
Rarely, a very high blood pressure might be life threatening needing immediate medical treatment. Symptoms include a headache, feeling and being sick, loss of eyesight, seizures and loss of consciousness.
Blood clots can develop in the deep veins of your body, usually the leg. This is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A blood clot can be very serious if it travels to your lungs (pulmonary embolism), although this isn’t common.
Symptoms of a blood clot include:
• pain, redness and swelling around the area where the clot is and may feel warm to touch • breathlessness • pain in your chest or upper back – dial 999 if you have chest pain • coughing up blood
Numbness or tingling in fingers or toes is often temporary and can improve after you finish treatment. Tell your healthcare team if you're finding it difficult to walk or complete fiddly tasks such as doing up buttons.
Increased risk of getting an infection is due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, cough, headaches, feeling cold and shivery, pain or a burning feeling when peeing, or generally feeling unwell. You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is.
Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection.
This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood. These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. You may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs. This is known as petechiae.
This is usually mild. You can do things to help yourself, including some gentle exercise. It’s important not to push yourself too hard and eat a well balanced diet.
Talk to your doctor or nurse if this effect is stopping you from doing your usual daily activities.
You might feel very tired and as though you lack energy.
Various things can help you to reduce tiredness and cope with it, for example exercise. Some research has shown that taking gentle exercise can give you more energy. It is important to balance exercise with resting.
Contact your advice line if you have diarrhoea. For example, in one day you have 2 or more loose bowel movements than usual. If you have a , you might have more output than normal. Your doctor may give you anti diarrhoea medicine to take home with you after treatment.
Try to eat small meals and snacks regularly. It’s best to try to have a healthy balanced diet if you can. You don’t necessarily need to stop eating foods that contain . But if your diet is normally very high in fibre, it might help to cut back on high fibre foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, bran and raw vegetables.
Drink plenty to try and replace the fluid lost. Aim for 8 to 10 glasses per day.
is easier to sort out if you treat it early. Drink plenty and eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can. Try to take gentle exercise, such as walking. Tell your healthcare team if you think you are constipated. They can give you a laxative if needed.
Feeling or being sick is usually well controlled with anti sickness medicines. It might help to avoid fatty or fried foods, eat small meals and snacks and take regular sips of water. Relaxation techniques might also help.
It is important to take anti sickness medicines as prescribed even if you don’t feel sick. It is easier to prevent sickness rather than treat it once it has started.
Tell your treatment team if you have this. They can check the cause and give you medicine to help.
You may have bleeding from your bottom (rectum). This may appear as bright red blood in your poo (stools) or on toilet paper. Contact your healthcare team straight away if you have this.
Less commonly, you may develop problems such as a blockage (obstruction) in your gut, a tear in the bowel wall or your bowel may stop working. You may have pain in your bottom due to spasms.
You might not feel like eating and may lose weight. Eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day can be easier to manage. You can talk to a dietitian if you are concerned about your appetite or weight loss.
Tell your healthcare team straight away if you get a high temperature. Ask them if you can take paracetamol to help lower your temperature.
Watery eyes is also called excessive tearing or epiphora (pronounced ep-if-or-ah). Tell your doctor or nurse if this is a problem for you. They can prescribe medicines to help. Try to avoid dust, pollen or animal hairs as they can make the watering worse.
Taste changes may make you go off certain foods and drinks. You may also find that some foods taste different from usual or that you prefer to eat spicier foods. Your taste gradually returns to normal a few weeks after your treatment finishes.
You may have nose bleeds.
You might also have a runny nose or a sore, blocked nose that makes you sneeze.
Small amounts of protein in your urine may be found when your nurse tests your urine. This usually goes away on its own. If there are large amounts of protein you may have tests to check how well your kidneys are working.
Skin problems include a skin rash, dry skin and itching. This usually goes back to normal when your treatment finishes. Your healthcare team can tell you what products you can use on your skin to help.
You may also experience changes to your skin tone (skin discolouration).
You won't have bevacizumab until at least 28 days after surgery or until any wounds have completely healed.
Any wounds you might have can take longer to heal. Keep wounds clean to prevent infection. Contact your GP or specialist nurse if you are worried about a wound.
You might feel some pain from your muscles and joints. Speak to your doctor or nurse about what painkillers you can take to help with this.
Tell your healthcare team if you keep getting headaches. They can give you painkillers to help.
You might have difficulty speaking, slurred speech or slower speech than usual. Talk to your doctor if this happens.
More rarely, you might find that your voice becomes hoarse.
You might have a cough or feel short of breath.
You may have changes in levels of minerals and salts in your blood, including low levels of sodium or magnesium. You have regular blood tests during treatment to check this.
You might get a sore mouth or throat. It may be painful to swallow drinks or food. You will have mouth washes to keep your mouth healthy.
You can have painkillers to reduce the soreness. Take them half an hour before meals to make eating easier.
The ovaries may stop working in pre menopausal women and periods may stop. This may only be temporary and may go back to normal once you stop treatment. But some women might have an early menopause and this treatment could cause infertility.
These side effects happen in between 1 and 10 out of every 100 people (between 1 and 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:
sepsis - a serious reaction to an infection. Signs can include feeling very unwell, not passing urine, a very high or very low temperature, shivering, slurred speech or confusion, breathlessness, mottled or discoloured skin, extreme shivering or muscle pain. Call 999 or go to accident and emergency (A&E) immediately if you have any of these symptoms
a stroke. Symptoms can include drooping of one side of the face, being unable to smile, having numbness or weakness on one side of the body or being unable to talk. Dial 999 immediately if you have these symptoms
heart failure
not enough fluid in your body (dehydration) – symptoms may include feeling thirsty, peeing less, dark coloured or strong smelling pee, or feeling very tired
redness, peeling, tenderness, pain or blistering on the fingers or feet
low numbers of red blood cells that can cause breathlessness and looking pale
passing less urine, dark urine or a urine infection
pain including headache, back pain, pain between the hips (pelvis) and back passage (anus)
feeling sleepy
increased heart rate
low levels of oxygen in your body tissues – symptoms may include confusion, restlessness, difficulty breathing, a fast heart beat and bluish skin
an abnormal opening (fistula) between internal organs and skin or other tissues that are not usually connected
fainting
a reaction to the drug which can include a skin rash, itching, swelling of the lips, face or throat, breathing difficulties, fever and chills
coughing up blood or bleeding from other parts of the body. Let your healthcare team know straight away if you notice you have any signs of bleeding.
This side effect happens in fewer than 1 in 100 people (fewer than 1%):
changes in eyesight, severe drowsiness, and changes in behaviour. This set of symptoms is called Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES). Contact your healthcare team straight away if you develop these symptoms. This condition is reversible.
We have more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.
Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We are unable to list all the possible interactions that may happen. An example is grapefruit or grapefruit juice which can increase the side effects of certain drugs.
Tell your healthcare team about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. Also let them know about any other medical conditions or allergies you may have.
You may not be able to become pregnant or get someone pregnant after treatment with this drug. Talk to your doctor before starting treatment if you think you may want to have a baby in the future.
Men might be able to store sperm before starting treatment. And women might be able to store eggs or ovarian tissue. But these services are not available in every hospital, so you would need to ask your doctor about this.
This drug may harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant while you are having treatment and for 6 months afterwards. Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception before starting treatment. Let them know straight away if you become pregnant while you're having treatment.
Don’t breastfeed during this treatment and for 6 months afterwards. This treatment may come through in the breast milk.
If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.
Don’t have immunisations with live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. The length of time depends on the treatment you are having.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations.
In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, BCG, and yellow fever.
You can usually have:
other vaccines, but they might not give you as much protection as usual
the flu vaccine (as an injection)
the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best time to have a vaccine in relation to your cancer treatment.
You can be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. If someone has had a live vaccine by mouth or nasal spray there may be a small risk the vaccine virus can be passed onto you if your is weakened.
Your healthcare team will let you know if you need to take any precautions if you are in close contact with someone who has had a live vaccine.
For further information about this treatment and possible side effects go to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website. You can find the patient information leaflet on this website.
You can report any side effect you have to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.
Last reviewed: 23 Jan 2026
Next review due: 23 Jan 2029
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