Question

Describe how cancer cells promote angiogensis and add a note on the role of anti-angiogenesis factors in limiting cancer cell growth.

Answer 1

Cancer cells have have lost the property of contact inhibition. It means that they grow and divide continuously and unlike other cells which grow upto a certain amount and then stops. In normal cells, the neighbouring cells sends stop signal to a dividing cell and controls their growth.

Cancer cells do have this property. Because of this reason, they divide continuously. Now, as the cells increases in number they require oxygen and nutrients for survival. So they start producing new blood vessels around them for this purpose. This is called angiogenesis.

Various angiogenesis factors include VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and bFGF( basic fibroblast growth factors) . These factors helps formation of new vessels.

Some anti- angiogenesis factors like thrombospindin 1, Angiostatin, Endostatin and Vasculostatin restricts the growth of new vessels. These factors inhibits angiogenesis factors and thus limits growth of cancer cells