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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

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10:15

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Published on: October 14, 2015

Role of the tumor microenvironment in mediating response to anti-angiogenic therapy

Y D Jung1, S A Ahmad, Y Akagi

  • 1Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.

Cancer Metastasis Reviews
|February 24, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Tumor blood vessel development (angiogenesis) varies greatly between individual tumors and differs from normal tissues. Understanding the tumor microenvironment is key to improving anti-angiogenic therapy effectiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Vascular Biology
  • Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

  • Preclinical anti-angiogenic therapy models often fail in clinical trials.
  • Tumor endothelium exhibits distinct phenotypes compared to normal endothelium.
  • Individual tumors display diverse angiogenic phenotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review how the tumor microenvironment regulates tumor angiogenesis.
  • To examine the impact of tumor heterogeneity on anti-angiogenic therapy efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of tumor angiogenesis and microenvironment regulation.
  • Analysis of factors influencing angiogenic factor expression in tumors.
  • Discussion of phenotypic differences in endothelial cells across various organs and tumors.

Main Results:

  • Tumor angiogenesis is regulated by both intrinsic tumor cell factors and the host microenvironment.
  • Phenotypic diversity of tumor endothelium presents a significant challenge for anti-angiogenic strategies.
  • Varied expression of angiogenic factors contributes to treatment resistance.

Conclusions:

  • The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in regulating angiogenesis.
  • Effective anti-angiogenic regimens require consideration of tumor heterogeneity and microenvironmental influences.
  • Further research into microenvironment-targeted therapies is warranted.

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