An innovative treatment strategy involving an agent referred to as RhuMAb VEGF has recently completed early phase clinical trials. These trials suggest that the use of RhuMAb VEGF may potentially play an important role in the future treatment of cancer. As a result, clinical trials are currently underway to further evaluate this treatment strategy and determine its utility in optimal treatment regimens.
Cancer cells require food, oxygen, and growth proteins in order to grow and spread.
These essential nutrients are transported to the cancer cells by blood vessels. High levels of VEGF are expressed in a variety of cancers and have been implicated in unfavorable outcomes 1 . Recent research efforts have focused on inhibiting the process of angiogenesis in an attempt to halt the growth and spread of cancer. Through this binding mechanism, VEGF is inactivated, thus halting the growth of new blood vessels necessary to promote cancer cell growth. Researchers from the City of Hope National Cancer Center and Indiana University recently conducted a clinical trial evaluating the safety of treatment with RhuMAb VEGF plus chemotherapy in 12 patients with advanced cancers.