angiogenesis and melanoma血管生成和黑色素瘤.pdfVIP

Cancers 2010, 2, 114-132; doi:10.3390/cancers2010114 OPEN ACCESS cancers ISSN 2072-6694 /journal/cancers Review Angiogenesis and Melanoma Domenico Ribatti *, Tiziana Annese and Vito Longo Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, Policlinico 70124, Bari, Italy; E-Mails: tiziana.annese@virgilio.it (T.A.); vito.vito@tiscali.it (V.L.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ribatti@anatomia.uniba.it; Tel.: +39-080-5478240; Fax: +39-080-5478310. Received: 11 January 2010; in revised form: 10 February 2010 / Accepted: 24 February 2010 / Published: 25 February 2010 Abstract: Angiogenesis occurs in pathological conditions, such as tumors, where a specific critical point in tumor progression is the transition from the avascular to the vascular phase. Tumor angiogenesis depends mainly on the release by neoplastic cells of growth factors specific for endothelial cells, which are able to stimulate the growth of the host’s blood vessels. This article summarizes the literature concerning the relationship between angiogenesis and human melanoma progression. The recent applications of antiangiogenic agents which interfere with melanoma progression are also described. Keywords: angiogenesis; antiangiogenesis; human melanoma; tumor progression 1. Introduction Angiogenesis, i.e., the formation of new vessels from pre-existing ones such as capillaries and post- capillary venules, pl