Targeting vasculature in urologic tumors: mechanistic and therapeutic significance.
Recent advances toward understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating cancer initiation and progression provide new insights into the therapeutic value of targeting tumor vascularity by interfering with angiogenic signaling pathways. The functional contribution of key angiogenic factors toward increased vascularity characterizing metastatic tumors and their therapeutic exploitation is considered in three major urologic malignancies, renal, bladder, and prostate cancer. With the realization that the success of the therapeutic efficacy of the various anti-angiogenic approaches for the treatment of urologic tumors has yet to be proven clinically, the challenge remains to select critical angiogenesis pathways that can be targeted for an individual tumor. Here we discuss the major mechanisms that support formation of vasculature in renal, bladder, and prostate tumors and the current results of targeting of specific molecules/regulators for therapeutic intervention against metastastic disease.
Division of Urology and Department of Molecular Biochemistry, and Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Shinichi
S
Sakamoto
A Jacqueline
AJ
Ryan
Natasha
N
Kyprianou
D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A