Anti-Angiogenic Molecular Pathways as Applied to Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Angiogenesis is the process by which blood vessels branch out to deliver oxygen and nutrients to ischemic tissues within the body¹. By its very nature, angiogenesis is an essential component in the growth and eventual spread of cancerous tumors in the body. Scientists have recently discovered several of the biochemical mechanisms by which angiogenesis occurs both naturally, and under the influence of a cancerous environment, and with that knowledge have begun to propose methods for the treatment of such cancers such as microRNA manipulation and vascular endothelial growth factor suppression.