News Release

Tumour blood shutdown enhances effects of treatment

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation

Blood supply is essential to the growth of tumours, and controlling it is an important target for cancer researchers. Combining newer anti-cancer agents which target the blood supply of tumours with conventional radiotherapy or cytotoxic (cell-killling) drugs makes cancer cells more vulnerable to attack, a conference in Istanbul heard today (Wednesday 20 September).

Studies in animal tumour models combining radiotherapy with vascular damaging drugs such as combretastatin A-4 disodium phosphate (CA4P) or flavone acetic acid derivatives, or the anti-angiogenesis inhibitors, TNP-470 or angiostatin, have been shown to enhance the response of the tumour to radiation. However, when these agents are used by themselves, without radiation, they have little if any effect on the overall growth of the tumour.

Dr. Michael Horsman, from the Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology at the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark said: "While these initial findings are encouraging, there is still much work to be done. Clinical trials to look at these treatments are being planned but it will be a number of years before we can say with certainty that this technique can be effective in treating patients".

Dr. David Chaplin from Oxigene, Inc., reported that the vascular targeting agent CA4P can induce blood flow shutdown and subsequent tumour cell death in a number of experimental tumour systems. The selective damage to tumour blood vessels caused by CA4P probably relates to the rapid changes in the shape of cells which line tumour blood vessels.

Dr Chaplin said "based on these pre-clinical results with CA4P, the use of vascular targeting agents both alone and in combination with other treatments may offer a promising new avenue for cancer treatment".

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Note for editors: The European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) was founded in 1980 as a society of individual members working in the field of radiotherapy and oncology. It aims to improve the treatment of cancer patients by establishing the integration of radiation oncology with other methods of treatment (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy), and by establishing best practice in radiotherapy. ESTRO has more than 5000 members throughout Europe.

For further information:
Kay Roche
Mary Rice
32-2-775-02-03
Kay@fecs.be
Mary@fecs.be


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