ARZU YILMAZTEPE ORAL, ENGİN ULUKAYA, YUSUF YILMAZ
Advances in Molecular Medicine - 2007;3(1):15-21
Lung cancer is the most common malignity in the world and the frequency of its occurrence gradually increases. Development of metastasis is one of the most life-threatening conditions for the patients with cancer. Tumour growth and metastasis events are dependent upon angiogenesis. New blood vessels embedded within the tumor provide a gate for tumour cells. Thus, tumor cells enter the blood circulation and metastasis to distant organs such as lung or bone. Prevention of tumour blood circulation by blocking these angiogenic factors has brought new approaches to fight with cancer. VEGF-A is mainly responsible for angiogenesis and increase in vascular permeability, also known as vascular permeability factor. The VEGF and its receptors are important in both regulation of neovascularization and pathological angiogenesis. VEGF receptor family consists of three members: VEGF-R1 (Flt-1), VEGF-R2 (KDR/ Flk-1) and VEGF-R3 (Flt-4) which belong to receptor tyrosine kinase super family. VEGF-A binds strongly to VEGF-R1, it does not bind to VEGF-R3. But, VEGF-R-3 binds only VEGF-C and VEGF-D. VEGF and its receptors are expressed in cancer cells, in both NSCLC and SCLC. Many studies reported that VEGF-R1, receptor of both VEGF and PIGF, can be expressed in many cancer types including NSCLC. As a conclusion suppression the VEGF-R1 signaling can be an important target for treating cancer metastasis.
