Antivascular therapy of cancer metastasis

The major cause of death from prostate cancer is metastases that are resistant to conventional therapies such as androgen ablation and cytotoxic chemotherapy. To produce a metastasis, tumor cells must complete a series of sequential and highly selective steps whose outcome is determined by the interactions of tumor cells with homeostatic host mechanisms. Preferential metastasis of tumor cells to certain organs is independent of vascular anatomy, rate of blood flow, and number of tumor cells delivered to each organ. The outcome of metastasis depends on multiple continuous interactions between unique subpopulations of tumor cells and specific host factors within the organ microenvironment, such as the vasculature. The progressive growth and metastasis of prostate cancer are dependent on the induction and maintenance of angiogenesis.