Anti-Angiogenesis and Vascular Targeting in Tumor Vasculature

Abstract

In 1971, J. Folkman (Fig. 4.1) published in the New England Journal of Medicine a hypothesis that tumor growth is angiogenesis-dependent. The hypothesis predicted that tumors would be unable to grow beyond a microscopic size of 1–2 mm³ withoutcontinuous recruitment of new capillary blood vessels. Folkman introduced the concept that tumors probably secreted diffusible molecules that could stimulate the growth of new blood vessels toward the tumor and that the resulting tumor neovascularization could conceivably be prevented or interrupted by drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors (Folkman, New Engl J Med, 285:1182–1186, 1971).