Novel strategies towards the use of anti-angiogenic agents in breast cancer.

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and development of metastases in human breast cancer. Currently, bevacizumab (inhibitor of VEGF) is the most extensively studied agent in clinical trials. However, only modest improvement of overall survival and response rates is seen in these trials and the use of anti-angiogenic agents in breast cancer is still controversial. It is of crucial importance to identify patients that respond to anti-angiogenic agents. Whether triple negative and BRCA1-related tumors are more sensitive to these type of agents should be further explored. In addition, we believe that treatment with anti-angiogenic agents could also be improved by optimizing treatment schedules and combinations.