title: Combretastatin A4-phosphate and its potential in veterinary oncology: a review.
abstract: For many years, research on anticancer therapy has focussed almost exclusively on targeting cancer cells directly, to selectively kill them or restrict their growth. But limited advances in this strategy have led researchers to shift their attention to other potential targets. Active research is now on-going on targeting tumour stroma. Vascular disrupting agents (VDAs) appear a promising class of anticancer drugs that are currently under investigation as a sole or combined therapy in human cancer patients. This article will briefly touch on the history and biology of combretastatin A4-phosphate (CA4P) as a typical example of VDAs and will concentrate on the side effects that can be expected when used in veterinary patients. Particularly, the pathogenesis of these side effects and how they may be prevented and/or treated will be discussed. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the potentials of CA4P as anticancer therapy in veterinary oncology patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abma
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daminet
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smets
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Rooster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001632:Bibenzyls / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000662:veterinary; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D001632:Bibenzyls; C040105:combretastatin
keywords: anticancer therapy; combretastatin A4-phosphate; tubulin-binding agent; vascular disrupting agent