How Endostatin Works: Anti-Angiogenesis

Endostatin is an anti-tumor drug that attacks a process called angiogenesis (sometimes also called an Angiogenic Inhibitor). Angiogenesis is the way that a tumor nourishes itself by forming a network of blood vessels. Essentially the tumor sends out signals that summon blood vessels to nourish them. With this nourishment the tumors grow (or metastasize) and eventually kill the patient. Endostatin is designed to disrupt angiogenesis so that tumors are eventually starved and die.Until recently, Endostatin had only been tested on laboratory animals. It succeeded in reducing tumors in mice but had not been tested on humans. Currently Endostatin is being tested in clinical trials on terminally ill cancer patients and not long ago Phase I testing concluded at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. The results were generally positive. Endostatin caused few toxic side effects and caused tumor shrinkage in 8% of the participants.

At this writing, there are only three major clinics were Endostatin clinical trials are being conducted with patients: Dana Farber/Partners Cancer Care in Boston, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison. So far only phase one trials have been conducted and the sample group has been relatively small. Between the three cancer centers, only a 100 or so terminally ill cancer patients have undergone Endostatin treatment. So unfurtunately there are not many oppurtunities to participate in a clinical trial.

Like all Phase I trials, the trials have mostly been concerned with testing the safety of Endostatin. Nevertheless researchers have also paid close attention to Edostatin's anti-angiogenesis effect. All of the patients in the trial are late stage cancer patients so any slowing of the cancers progression as a result of anti-angiogenesis is regarded by researchers as a very encouraging sign. Therefore they have been pleased to see that between roughly 6-8% of the combined group have shown tumor shrinkage.

Since its earliest trials in laboratory mice, doctors and researchers have seen a great deal of potential in Endostatin as a less toxic alternative to conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The clinical trials have thus far shown Endostatin to be a safe drug and the medical community remains hopeful that further testing will not only strengthen this verdict, but show Edostatin to be an effective alternative to conventional treatments.

Researchers believe that Endostatin will be most effective treating fast growing cancers with tumors that rely on a larger number of blood vessels such as mesothelioma, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma and breast cancer.