Biomarkers in the development of anti-angiogenic therapies for ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in European women. Although the effectiveness of current cancer treatments - surgical therapy in combination with chemotherapy - is high, the majority of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will eventually relapse. Recurrent cancer is usually more drug-resistant; these reasons make apparent the need for more successful and permanent cancer therapies.

With the need for a more effective therapy comes lots of medical research. A greater understanding of the molecular pathways involved in tumor growth has led to significant research and development in targeted treatments. Particularly, the role of angiogenesis in tumor formation has led to drugs that attempt to halt the vascularization of carcinogenic tumors. Angiogenesis (the process by which new blood vessels are created) is vital to tumor growth and a particular receptor VEGF have emerged as the dominant pathway regulating angiogenesis. Typical systematic cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, are not completely efficient in treating vascularized tumors because of the anatomical differences in tumor blood vessels. Tumor vasculature has poor flow and impaired transfer of nutrients - this leads to a reduced delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to the tumor.

If angiogenic treatments could be used to stop the vascularization of tumors in ovarian cancer patients, there would be no possibility for the tumor to continue its growth. Multiple drugs have been used in clinical trials and have shown success in treating various advanced malignant tumors. One drug in particular, Bevacizumab, has shown particular success and has been approved by the FDA.

As shown in the table above, there has been significant success in anti-angiogenic treatment in extensive clinical trials of various drugs. One issue that arises, however, with the use of these drugs in the need to determine an optimal dose and combination/scheduling of when the drugs are taken.

Treatment for ovarian cancer is relevant to my life because of my grandmother's multiple battles with ovarian cancer. If there were a more successful first treatment of ovarian cancer, then relapse of drug-resistant forms would be less likely. A higher success rate is immediately necessary to prevent patients from having to battle cancer multiple times - with less success each time.

http://www.sciencedirect.com.lib-ezproxy.tamu.edu:2048/science/article/pii/S0305737211002489