Medical Oncologist
Bevacizumab (Avastin)
Bevacizumab Infusion Day: — What to Expect, Step by Step
Many patients feel anxious before their first bevacizumab infusion. The process is straightforward, and the drip time shortens with each session. Here is exactly what happens on the day.
Medically reviewed by Dr. T. Raghavender Reddy, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · DM (Medical Oncology) · MD (Radiation Oncology) · Last reviewed August 2026
- No fasting needed — Eat and drink normally before your appointment.
- First session: around 90 minutes — The time reduces with each visit if the previous session went well.
- No routine premedication — Unlike many chemotherapy drugs, bevacizumab does not usually require antihistamines or steroids beforehand.
- Blood pressure checked every visit — Your team takes a baseline reading before the drip starts, as bevacizumab can raise blood pressure.
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Bevacizumab is given as a slow drip into a vein. Your first session takes approximately 90 minutes. If that goes well, the second takes around 60 minutes, and from the third session onward the time shortens further. No routine premedication is needed, and most sessions are done as day care.
Do you need to prepare anything before the drip starts?
You do not need to fast. Eat and drink normally before you come in — sitting through a long drip on an empty stomach is uncomfortable and unnecessary.
Bevacizumab does not routinely require premedication. No antihistamines or steroids are given beforehand, unlike some chemotherapy drugs. Your team will tell you if your specific regimen is different.
Before the drip begins, a nurse will check your blood pressure. High blood pressure is a recognised effect of bevacizumab, so that baseline reading is taken at every visit.
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What happens during a bevacizumab infusion day?
Check in and identity confirmation
You are seen by the nursing team. Your name, identification and treatment plan are confirmed before anything is prepared.
Vital signs checked
Blood pressure and pulse are measured. If your blood pressure is elevated, your team may treat it first or adjust the plan. This is routine, not a cause for alarm.
Cannula placed
A nurse inserts a small plastic line — a cannula — into a vein in your arm or hand. This is how the drip is delivered.
Drug prepared by pharmacy
Bevacizumab is diluted and sent to the day care unit. You may wait thirty to forty-five minutes during this step.
Infusion begins
The drip runs slowly. According to the bevacizumab prescribing information, your first infusion takes approximately 90 minutes. If that session is well tolerated, the second is around 60 minutes, and from the third onward the time shortens further.
Monitored throughout
A nurse checks on you regularly. Tell them immediately if you notice chest tightness, difficulty breathing, flushing, rapid heartbeat, or sudden dizziness — these are the signs of an infusion reaction that need prompt attention.
Short observation period, then discharge
After the drip finishes you remain in the chair briefly while the team confirms you are well. Most patients are discharged the same day.
Did you know?
Bevacizumab works by blocking a protein called VEGF that tumours use to grow new blood vessels. Without that signal, the tumour aims to be cut off from the supply it needs to expand.
This is why it is often added to chemotherapy: it targets the tumour's blood supply while the chemotherapy targets the cancer cells directly — two different mechanisms working at the same time.
Source: NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat and drink before my bevacizumab infusion?
Yes. There is no requirement to fast before bevacizumab. Eat and drink normally before you come in. Skipping meals is unnecessary and can leave you feeling unwell during a session that can last up to 90 minutes. If your treatment that day includes something that does require fasting — a scan or a procedure — your team will tell you specifically.
Why does the infusion take less time each visit?
The first infusion is given slowly because it is the first time your body is receiving this drug, and a slower rate gives the nursing team time to catch any reaction early. According to the bevacizumab prescribing information, if your first session is well tolerated the time reduces for the second, and reduces again from the third session onward. The rate at each visit is always your oncologist's decision based on how you have responded.
What do I do if I feel unwell during the infusion?
Tell the nurse immediately — do not wait until the drip finishes. Symptoms to report right away include chest tightness, difficulty breathing, flushing, a rapid heartbeat, or a sudden headache. The nurse can slow or pause the infusion while they assess what is happening. Most reactions are mild and manageable, but prompt reporting is what keeps them that way.
Can I drive home after bevacizumab?
Bevacizumab itself does not cause drowsiness, so driving is not automatically ruled out. Whether you can drive depends on what else is included in your treatment that day — some drugs given alongside it may cause fatigue or nausea. Ask your oncologist specifically about your own regimen. For your first few sessions, consider having someone with you until you know how your body responds.
What symptoms after going home should make me call my team the same day?
The most important ones to act on promptly — not at your next scheduled appointment — are a severe headache that comes on suddenly, vision changes, chest pain, or any sign of bleeding: blood in your urine, coughing up blood, or unexplained bruising that appears quickly. These are uncommon, but they are the symptoms your team needs to hear about without delay. Your day care unit will give you a contact number before you leave.