Normalization of the tumor vasculature through oncogenic inhibition: An emerging paradigm in tumor biology

Abstract

The work by Bottos et al. (1) reported the effects of the proto-oncogene BRAF inhibition on the vasculature of solid tumors harboring the BRAFV600E oncogenic mutation. In particular, the work by Bottos et al. (1) showed that suppression of BRAF signaling in these tumors diminished tumor cell expression of several proangiogenic factors downstream of BRAF, which in turn stabilized vessel architecture, improved perfusion, and abrogated hypoxia. These findings are supportive of vascular normalization, a hypothesis that we first proposed in 2001 and then elaborated on in 2005 (2). Through restoration of the balance between proangiogenic and antiangiogenic factors … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jain{at}steele.mgh.harvard.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1