Erschienen in:
01.11.2003 | Review
The impact of anti-angiogenic agents on cancer therapy
verfasst von:
Dieter Marmé
Erschienen in:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
|
Ausgabe 11/2003
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Excerpt
Initiation, development and malignant progression of tumors depend on multiple genetic alterations as well as posttranscriptional and posttranslational modifications within the tumor cells. All these changes contribute to the loss of cell cycle control and to the evasion of programmed cell death. Along with the progression to the malignant phenotype, tumors develop a substantial cross-talk with the host tissue. This results in sustained angiogenesis and in tissue invasion, leading finally to metastasis. Thus, the diverse collection of genetic alterations leading to oncogenes with dominant gain of function and to tumor suppressor genes with recessive loss of function manifest four essential alterations in cell physiology that collectively dictate malignant growth: loss of cell cycle control, escape from apoptosis, sustained angiogenesis and metastasis. Hallmarks of these processes are distinct changes in cellular and inter-cellular signalling (Hanahan et al.
2000). As our knowledge of the various signalling pathways increases, those critical steps within these pathways that are altered in tumor cells or stromal cells are being unravelled. The cumulative knowledge of these changes within the different tumor types will help us to identify specific targets for the development of novel cancer therapies. …