Title:Angiogenesis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Volume: 2
Issue: 2
Author(s): Sotirios Sachanas, Maria K. Angelopoulou, Pinelopi Korkolopoulou, Christina Kalpadakis, Pantelis Tsirkinidis, Maria Moschogiannis, Xanthi Yiakoumis, Aglaia Dimitrakopoulou, Theodoros P. Vassilakopoulos and Gerassimos A. Pangalis
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Angiogenesis, antiangiogenic drugs, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, vascular growth factors.
Abstract: Data concerning angiogenesis in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) indicate that CLL patients are characterized
by various abnormalities in the angiogenic profile including increased microvessel density in lymph nodes and in
bone marrow and increased levels of certain pro-angiogenic vascular growth factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF) and its receptors, basic fibrobast growth factor (bFGF) and matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs) were found to be
highly expressed in CLL patients while there was no difference in angiogenin expression between CLL patients and
healthy individuals. VEGF is implicated in CLL pathogenesis through various mechanisms. Enhanced angiogenesis in
CLL has been associated in several reports with disease characteristics and patients’ survival. Various anti-angiogenic
agents targeting angiogenesis related pathways such as immunomodulatory drugs and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors
have already been entered in clinical trials. Among them lenalidomide is the most promising antiangiogenic drug showing
a significant efficacy in relapsed/refractory CLL patients.
