Angiogenesis

• Angiogenesis is the term used to describe the formation of new blood vessels within your body. Angiogenesis is set in motion by certain chemicals in your body. These chemicals encourage blood vessels to grow in areas where you have been wounded, for example, to feed blood to new tissue. Once the damage is repaired, other chemicals produced by your body signal the blood vessels to stop forming.
  
  

Tumors

• A tumor is growth that consists of abnormal cells. A tumor can grow on the outside or inside of your body. The abnormal cells can be benign and non-harmful, or they can be malignant and cancerous. A tumor can cause damage by crowding healthy tissue, putting pressure on it and even displacing organs. Malignant tumors can spread throughout your body, causing health problems in several areas.
  
  

Angiogenesis and Tumors

• Angiogenesis can play a role in both encouraging tumor growth and helping your doctor treat your cancer. Blood vessels provide oxygen and nutrients to healthy tissue; they can also do the same for tumors. The more blood vessels that feed a tumor, the more oxygen and nutrients it receives. This means the tumor can grow larger than it would have otherwise. Larger tumors are more likely to spread throughout the body.
  
  

Angiogenesis Inhibitors

• Your doctor can treat tumors through antiangiogenic therapy. In this form of treatment, your doctor uses angiogenesis inhibitors, the chemicals that tell your body to stop forming new blood vessels. These chemicals can be natural or synthetic. With no new blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to a tumor, it might stop growing and could even start to shrink. This will lessen the risk of it spreading and can make it easier for your doctor to remove through other therapies, like surgery or radiation.
  
  

Considerations

• The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of some tumors, including colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer. Antiangiogenic therapy is not a viable treatment for all tumors. Angiogenesis inhibitors can have side effects, including bleeding problems, reduced blood clotting function, suppressed immune system and interference with heart function. If you have high blood pressure or are already prone to developing infections, it might not be the right treatment for you.