Sledge George W
Department of Hematology/Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46260, USA.
Semin Oncol. 2002 Jun;29(3 Suppl 11):104-10. doi: 10.1053/sonc.2002.34062.
Angiogenesis, or new blood vessel formation, is known to be an important part of the malignant phenotype in most cancers, including breast cancer. Recent years have seen the discovery of many regulators of the angiogenic process. Foremost among these is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the ligand for a family of specific transmembrane receptors that regulate the angiogenic process. This article describes the role of VEGF and its receptors in angiogenesis (both physiologic and pathologic), and describes efforts to target VEGF and its receptor. It discusses the outcome of some early trials involving VEGF-targeting agents, and reviews future therapeutic trials involving VEGF in breast cancer.
血管生成，即新血管形成，是包括乳腺癌在内的大多数癌症恶性表型的重要组成部分。近年来，人们发现了许多血管生成过程的调节因子。其中最重要的是血管内皮生长因子（VEGF），它是一类调节血管生成过程的特异性跨膜受体家族的配体。本文描述了VEGF及其受体在血管生成（生理和病理）中的作用，并介绍了针对VEGF及其受体的研究进展。讨论了一些涉及VEGF靶向药物的早期试验结果，并综述了未来涉及VEGF的乳腺癌治疗试验。
