Angiogenesis, the process of vessel formation from pre-existing ones, is considered a hallmark of cancer, because it ensures tumor survival and proliferation through a better access to nutrients and oxygen, and allows migration and expansion of the solid tumor to other tissues.
Targeting tumor angiogenesis deprives tumor cells from nutrient supply, which impairs cancer cells’ survival and proliferation. Moreover, normalizing the blood vessel network, by pruning immature and leaky blood vessels, can significantly improve blood flow and potentiate extravasation of therapeutic agents to the tumor interstitial space.
Furthermore, being a portal for tumor cells to colonize distant areas of the body, angiogenesis can also be targeted to prevent metastasis.
