Angiogenesis inhibitors: New cancer drugs stop tumor growth
5/24/2006 Rochester, MN staff Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com) Researchers hope that stopping angiogenesis could make cancer a more manageable disease. As with all living things, even cancer needs oxygen and nutrients to help it grow and thrive. To get the fuel they need, tumors develop a network of new blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is an area of intense focus by cancer researchers who hope that stopping angiogenesis could mean stopping cancer from growing and spreading. Numerous drugs that may one day help prevent, stop or reverse angiogenesis are under investigation. These drugs are referred to as angiogenesis inhibitors or anti-angiogenic drugs. Only one drug that acts solely as an angiogenesis inhibitor is currently approved for use, but researchers are finding that many cancer drugs intended to attack cancer cells in other ways may also act as angiogenesis inhibitors. Researchers hope that stopping or reversing angiogenesis could leave tumors small and manageable. What is angiogenesis? Angiogenesis describes the formation of new blood vessels within your body. For instance, an embryo uses angiogenesis to develop inside the womb, a woman experiences angiogenesis as a normal part of menstruation, and body tissues use angiogenesis to help heal wounds. Angiogenesis also refers to the process by which a tumor develops a blood supply. Small tumors can survive without a network of blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients. These small tumors rely on nearby tissue to deliver small amounts of energy. In order to grow larger and spread (metastasize), a tumor [...]