The discovery of antiangiogenic molecules: a historical review.

In a landmark publication of 1971, Folkman proposed antiangiogenesis as a potential target in cancer biology [1]. Over the past 30 years most research on tumor angiogenesis has been aimed at inhibiting the process of tumor-induced vessel formation. The first angiogenesis inhibitor, bevacizumab, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the colon-rectum. Antiangiogenesis remains a dynamic and evolving field in oncology. New therapeutic targets continue to emerge followed by the rapid development of new therapeutic agents to be investigated in clinical trials.