Vasculogenic mimicry, a complex and devious process favoring tumorigenesis - Interest in making it a therapeutic target

Abstract

Tumor cell vasculogenic mimicry (VM), also dubbed vascular mimicry, describes the plasticity of aggressive cancer cells forming de novo vascular networks and is associated with the malignant phenotype and poor clinical outcome. VM is described in a plethora of tumors, including carcinomas, sarcomas, glioblastomas, astrocytomas and melanomas. The presence of VM is associated with a high tumor grade, short survival, invasion and metastasis. A variety of molecular mechanisms and signal pathways participates in VM induction and formation. Due to VM's contribution on tumor progression, more VM-related strategies are being utilized for anticancer treatment. After describing the main features of VM, this review will outline the importance of the tumor microenvironment during this process, and highlight the predominant molecular targets and signaling pathways involved. These data will make it possible to discuss the importance of VM-associated mediators in antitumor therapy and how it could allow to better understand the resistance to anticancer therapy.

Keywords: Anticancer therapy; Cancer cells; Endothelial cells; Signaling pathways; Tumor microenvironment; Vessels.