PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zhuo Chen
AU  - Xin-Hua Xu
TI  - Combining antiangiogenic therapy and radiation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2015.6.11460
DP  - 2015 Jun 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 659--664
VI  - 36
IP  - 6
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/36/6/659.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/36/6/659.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2015 Jun 01; 36
AB  - Radiation therapy is the primary treatment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and the effect of radiation therapy is strongly related to the oxygen content of cancer cells. That means, it is imperative to balance the interactions between radiotherapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy when giving combination therapy to improve clinical outcomes. The complicated mechanisms between antiangiogenic agents and radiation involve many interactions between the cancer cells, vasculature, and cancer stroma. The proliferation and metastasis of cancer depends on angiogenesis, while rapid growth of cancers will cause hypoxia, which contributes to radioresistance. Antiangiogenic agents can modulate the cancer blood flow and oxygenation through target cancer vasculature, leading to increased radiosensitivity. This study discusses the mechanisms of the synergistic effect of the antiangiogenic therapy with radiation therapy in metastatic NPC, and reviews the data supporting this strategy as a promising treatment for metastatic NPC.