![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Pericytes, which envelope the vascular endothelium throughout the body, are often targeted to promote vascular normalization and restore normal function of blood vessels in cancer treatment. The goals of pericyte-targeted therapy tend to promote proper vascular normalization of the tumor. Tumor vascular normalization prevents metastasis, increases tumor oxygenation (making radiation more effective in killing tumor cells), optimizes Starling forces to increase delivery of cancer cell-directed therapies (e.g., chemotherapy or targeted agents), increases the efficacy of focal therapies (e.g., surgery or radiation), and increases recognition by the host immune system. We review how approaches in pericyte-targeted therapy aim to reach a balance between pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic function (i.e., by targeting platelet-derived growth factor beta receptors, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors and Tie-2) for tumor vascular normalization.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81201754), the New Teacher Fund for Doctor Station, the Ministry of Education (No. 20121202120014), the Foundation of Tianjin Public Health Bureau (no. 2012KZ067), and the CyberKnife Foundation of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital (no. 4–1–3). No benefits in any form have been or will be received from a commercial party directly or indirectly related to the subject of this article. We are not using any copyrighted information, patient photographs, identifiers, or other protected health information in this paper. No text, text boxes, figures, or tables in this article have been previously published or owned by another party. Illustrations were created by Nicholas G Zaorsky. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.