VEGF-Targeted Therapy: Therapeutic Potential and Recent Advances

Abstract

Abstract Learning Objectives After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Compare and contrast the mechanism of action for angiogenesis inhibitors currently being explored for the treatment of cancer.Compare the efficacy of standard chemotherapy alone to that of chemotherapy combined with an antiangiogenic agent for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.Describe the rationale for the use of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer.Assess recent data describing the efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of NSCLC. Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com After over 30 years of theorizing, the use of angiogenesis inhibitors as anticancer therapy has finally moved from the realm of research to reality. Normal adult vasculature is generally quiescent in nature, with endothelial cells dividing approximately every 10 years. In contrast, the growth of tumors requires constant vascular growth and remodeling in order for solid tumors to grow beyond 1–2 mm3 in size. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors are key regulators of the process of angiogenesis, which makes them attractive therapeutic targets. A multitude of VEGF-targeted inhibitory agents are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer. This review article focuses on recent developments in the use of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of breast, lung, and colorectal cancers.