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Studies Reignite Debate over Avastin in Breast Cancer? Another study may have found that anti-angiogenesis drugs may not be an entirely good thing, because tumor cells themselves can prevent cancer spread. The study, published in the January 17th issue of Cancer Cell, found that a group of little-explored cells in the tumor microenvironment likely serve as important gatekeepers against cancer progression and metastasis.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-tumor-cells-cancer.html

This is very interesting and important. Anti-angiogenics have been of very clear cut value in renal cell carcinoma and glioblastoma. Giloblastoma never metastasizes, so the two-edged sword is only one edged (in the right direction). Renal cell metastasizes like crazy though. But what this article is saying is that combination therapy is what is required, just like in most situations of serious disease (both cancer and infectious disease).

Biologic therapy is on the ascendancy. The possibility of eradicating cancer by selective destruction of tumor blood vessels may represent an attractive therapeutic avenue. It's going to take combination anti vascular therapy to make a difference. Perhaps at the 14th International Anti-angiogenesis symposium on February 1-4, 2012, it will enlighten us?