Response to First Anti-VEGF Injection for DME Predicts Long-term Effects of Therapy

A patient’s response to an initial anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection for diabetic macular edema (DME) may signal the long-term effects of the treatment, according to study findings published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

A team from the Mie University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan studied responses to an initial anti-VEGF injection with a third consecutive monthly injection in 70 eyes with DME. Among them, 16 were treated with 1.25-mg bevacizumab, 35 with 0.5-mg ranibizumab, and 19 with 2.0-mg aflibercept.

According to the findings, average best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved with all 3 anti-VEGF agents after 3 consecutive monthly injections. Among all patients, there was a moderate but significant correlation between the BCVA at day 7 and at 1 month after the third injection. By agent, aflibercept demonstrated a strong correlation between BCVA at day 7 and at 1 month after the third injection, while ranibizumab showed a moderate correlation. Bevacizumab showed no significant correlation in BCVA at day 7 and after the third injection.

Average central macular thickness (CMT) also significantly improved with all 3 agents. As with BCVA, researchers found a moderate correlation between CMT at day 7 and 1 month after the third injection among all patients. By agent, all 3 demonstrated a moderate correlation between CMT at day 7 and at 1 month after the third injection.

“The significant correlations between the results on day 7 to that 1 month after the third anti-VEGF treatment for DME indicates that the long-term effects of anti-VEGF therapy can be predicted by the short-term response,” concluded researchers.

Reference:
Maeda S, Sugimoto M, Tenma Y, et al. Response to initial anti-vascular endothelial growth factor for diabetic macular edema is significantly correlated with response to third consecutive monthly injection. J Clin Med. 2022;11(21):6416. doi:10.3390/jcm11216416