Evading anti-angiogenic therapy: resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy in solid tumors

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) dependent tumor angiogenesis is an essential step for the initiation and promotion of tumor progression. The hypothesis that VEGF-driven tumor angiogenesis is necessary and sufficient for metastatic progression of the tumor, has been the major premise of the use of anti-VEGF therapy for decades. While the success of anti-VEGF therapy in solid tumors has led to the success of knowledge-based-therapies over the past several years, failures of this therapeutic approach due to the development of inherent/acquired resistance has led to the increased understanding of VEGF-independent angiogenesis. Today, tumor-angiogenesis is not a synonymous term to VEGF-dependent function. The extensive study of VEGF-independent angiogenesis has revealed several key factors responsible for this phenomenon including the role of myeloid cells, and the contribution of entirely new phenomenon like vascular mimicry. In this review, we will present the cellular and molecular factors related to the development of anti-angiogenic resistance following anti-VEGF therapy in different solid tumors.

Keywords: VEGF; biomarkers; myeloid cells; vascular mimicry.

Figure 1

Resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy is multi-factorial.

Figure 2

Comparison between the effect of bevacizumab on vascular mimicry in tumor cells and cord formation in HUVEC cells. Bevacizumab failed to block vascular mimicry in HCC1937 breast cancer cell line (A) and U87MG glioma cell lines (B), while bevacizumab blocked cord formation in HUVEC cells (C).