Anti-Angiogenesis in Treatment of Advanced Colorectal Carcinoma

Timothy S. Collins, Herbert I. Hurwitz
From: Science & Medicine: Volume 10 Number 4: Page 212 (August 2008)

Abstract: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer- related death in the United States. For several decades, 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy regimens have been the mainstay of treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. Over the past decade, new chemotherapeutic agents, such as irinotecan and oxaliplatin, have been introduced and have improved outcomes in patients with advanced disease. Despite these gains, the median survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer remains under 2 years. New strategies are clearly needed for this disease. Angiogenesis, or the process of new blood vessel formation, is considered critical for the growth of tumors and could serve as a potential target for anti-cancer therapy. Given the importance of angiogenesis factors for many¿if not all¿human cancers, extensive work has been done to better understand the mechanisms that regulate tumor angiogenesis. In turn, this has lead to the development and clinical testing of numerous novel antiangiogenesis agents to treat a broad range of human tumors.

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