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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2014; 35(04): 253-262
DOI: 10.4103/0971-5851.144985
REVIEW ARTICLE

Anti-angiogenic therapies for advanced esophago-gastric cancer

Elisa Fontana
Department of Medicine, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London and Surrey, United Kingdom
,
Francesco Sclafani
Department of Medicine, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London and Surrey, United Kingdom
,
David Cunningham
Department of Medicine, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London and Surrey, United Kingdom
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Abstract

Neo-vascularization is a vital process for tumor growth and development which involves the interaction between tumor cells and stromal endothelial cells through several growth factors and membranous receptors which ultimately activate pro-angiogenic intracellular signaling pathways. Inhibition of angiogenesis has become a standard treatment option for several tumor types including colorectal cancer, glioblastoma and ovarian cancer. In gastric cancer, the therapeutic role of anti-angiogenic agents is more controversial. Bevacizumab and ramucirumab, two monoclonal antibodies, which target vascular endothelial growth factor-A and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, respectively, have been demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with tumors of the stomach or esophagogastric junction. However, especially for bevacizumab, this antitumor activity has not consistently translated into a survival advantage over standard treatment in randomized trials. In this article, we provide an overview of the role of angiogenesis in gastric cancer and discuss the results of clinical trials that investigated safety and effectiveness of antiangiogenic therapies in this disease. A review of the literature has been done using PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov website and the ASCO Annual Meeting Library.

Keywords

Angiogenesis - bevacizumab - gastric cancer - esophageal cancer - ramucirumab


Publication History

Article published online:
19 July 2021

© 2014. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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