Avelumab (Nurse)
Medication Basics
Drug Name
Avelumab (Brand names: Bavencio®)
Purpose / Indication
Used to treat certain cancers, including Merkel cell carcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, and some cases of renal cell carcinoma when ordered by the oncology team. Verify indication, regimen, line of therapy, biomarker requirements, and institutional protocol before administration.
Dosage & Administration
Dose Schedule
Often administered as an intravenous infusion every 2 weeks, but the exact dose and schedule depend on diagnosis, body weight, combination therapy, and institutional protocol.
Route
IV (Intravenous)
Timing Considerations
Confirm treatment plan, cycle timing, combination agents, hold parameters, infusion duration, and any required pre-infusion assessments before administration.
Time of Day
Flexible
Special Instructions
Assess baseline symptoms, review labs, confirm consent, educate on immune-related or targeted-therapy toxicities, and follow institutional hypersensitivity/infusion reaction procedures.
Injection Techniques
Administer by IV infusion per institutional policy and current prescribing information. Do not administer IV push or bolus unless specifically supported by policy.
Mechanism of Action
Mechanism
Avelumab is a PD-L1 blocking monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-L1 interaction with PD-1 and B7.1 receptors, supporting T-cell mediated antitumor immune activity.