Abstract

Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels from preexisting vasculature. The angiogenic process is controlled by the net balance between molecules with positive and negative regulatory activity. In the past three decades, the understanding of the fundamental role of angiogenesis in tumor growth, progression and metastasis has led to tremendous interest in research regarding its regulatory mechanisms and clinical implications in the management of cancer patients. Different antiangiogenic strategies, predominantly acting through inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway have been evaluated for the treatment of various types of cancer. A plethora of angiogenesis inhibitors are currently subjected to clinical trials as monotherapy or in combination with conventional chemotherapy while few of them have been approved for clinical use in cancer therapy.