European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

“TUMOR ANGIOGENESIS- A REVIEW”

Ramya V., Xavier Pradeep D’mello A.*, T. Vijay Sylvester, Sudeep D’mello A.

ABSTRACT

Angiogenesis is a complex process depending on the coordination of many regulators and thereby activating angiogenic switch. Primary tumor cells, stromal cells and cancer stem cells strongly influence vessel growth. Recent advances in understanding of angiogenic mechanism have lead to the development of several anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic agents that use the strategy of regulation of angiogenic switch. Targeting angiogenic factors from VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) family has become an effective strategy to inhibit tumor growth and so far the most successful results are seen in metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This review article presents the practicability of several angiogenic parameters and markers that have been employed to conjecture regional metastasis including micro vessel density, positive and negative regulators of angiogenesis and genetic markers for angiogenesis.

Keywords: Angiogenesis, Angiostatin, Endothelial cells, Neovascularisation, Vasculogenesis.