Antiangiogenic therapy for liver metastasis of gastrointestinal malignancies.
In about half of the patients with gastrointestinal carcinomas, surgical excision of the primary tumor is not curative because metastasis has already occurred. Recent investigations of metastasis have shown that angiogenesis plays an important role in this process. In solid tumors angiogenesis occurs continuously to provide a blood supply for the proliferating cancer cells. As a new and potent method to control metastasis, antiangiogenic therapy has attracted considerable interest. This therapy inhibits angiogenesis, inducing a dormant state in which tumors cannot grow; the prognosis may thus be remarkably improved. Antiangiogenic agents show a characteristic antitumor effect which is different from that of chemotherapy. Based on our experimental in-vivo data, we conclude that antiangiogenic agents should not be used only for achieving tumor shrinkage, like chemotherapy. These agents should be used to control micrometastases, as the therapeutic effect on such metastasis is excellent. In addition, antiangiogenic agents may be valuable for long-term administration to maintain tumor dormancy, because drug resistance does not develop and these agents have a sustained effect. Combinations with conventional anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or surgery may also be valuable.
Konno
H
H
Second Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 3600 Handa-cho, Hamamatsu 431-31, Japan.
Tanaka
T
T
Baba
M
M
Kanai
T
T
Nakamura
S
S
D000818:Animals; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011379:Prognosis; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D007378:Interleukins; D013792:Thalidomide