Angiogenesis in NSCLC: is vessel co-option the trunk that sustains the branches?

ABSTRACT: The critical role of angiogenesis in tumor development makes its inhibition a valuable new approach in therapy, rapidly making anti-angiogenesis a major focus in research. While the VEGF/VEGFR pathway is the main target of the approved anti-angiogenic molecules in NSCLC treatment, the results obtained are still modest, especially due to resistance mechanisms. Accumulating scientific data show that vessel co-option is an alternative mechanism to angiogenesis during tumor development in well-vascularized organs such as the lungs, where tumor cells highjack the existing vasculature to obtain its blood supply in a non-angiogenic fashion. This can explain the low/lack of response to current anti-angiogenic strategies. The same principle applies to lung metastases of other primary tumors. The ex

SUBMITTER: Coelho AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5503654 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature