Small molecule inhibitors of tumor-promoted angiogenesis, including protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Abstract

Angiogenesis is an exciting and promising new area of research. The concept that tumor cells are absolutely dependent upon neovascularization to grow and metastasize has opened the door to a multitude of new approaches and targets for developing anticancer therapies. These potential new antiangiogenic therapies offer the possibility for improved efficacy and reduced toxicity relative to conventional cancer treatments without the possibility of drug resistance. In particular, reports of small molecule inhibitors of tumor-promoted angiogenesis are appearing ever more frequently in the scientific literature. For this reason, the major focus of this review will be to cover small molecule inhibitors of tumor-promoted angiogenesis. The present review concentrates on selected literature, principally from mid-1996 to mid-1998, where there are sufficient biological data to support claims of antiangiogenic activities by small molecules. In addition, a historical background is presented and some of the important issues related to this field are discussed within.