Is VEGF a predictive biomarker to anti-angiogenic therapy?

Abstract

Tumor growth and metastasis are dependent on angiogenesis. Inhibiting angiogenesis has therapeutic potentials for treating cancer. Researchers have identified many of the pathways involved in angiogenesis and proposed selective targeted strategies. A high probability of benefit is desirable to justify the choice of anti-angiogenic therapy from an ever-expanding list of expensive new anticancer agents. However, biomarkers of response to anti-angiogenic agents are inconclusive for predicting benefit from these drugs. This paper reviews the most important biomarker of angiogenesis, namely VEGF, in relation to its expression in cancer and the treatment of these cancers through targeting VEGF and its pathways.