[Anti-angiogenesis strategies in cancer]

It is generally accepted that tumor development requires the secretion by cancer cells of soluble mediators which activate the formation of new vessels, called "Tumor Angiogenic Factors". The intense quest for identifying these factors has recently been confirmed by strong experimental data. The discovery in 1989 of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor VEGF and of new proteases had led to the identification of the key actors of tumor angiogenesis. The elucidation of their mechanisms of action allowed to design new therapeutic strategies already confirmed by preclinical trials. There are now almost twenty molecules which are under clinical investigation in man.