Anti-VEGF treatment improves neurological function in tumors of the nervous system

Na Zhang; Jie Chen; Gino B Ferraro; Limeng Wu; Meenal Datta; Rakesh K Jain; Scott R Plotkin; Anat Stemmer-Rachamimov; Lei Xu

doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.09.008

Anti-VEGF treatment improves neurological function in tumors of the nervous system

Exp Neurol. 2018 Jan;299(Pt B):326-333. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.09.008. Epub 2017 Sep 11.

Authors

Na Zhang¹, Jie Chen¹, Gino B Ferraro¹, Limeng Wu¹, Meenal Datta², Rakesh K Jain¹, Scott R Plotkin³, Anat Stemmer-Rachamimov⁴, Lei Xu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Edwin Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
² Edwin Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
³ Department of Neurology and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, USA.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Electronic address: astemmerrachamimov@mgh.harvard.edu.
⁵ Edwin Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Electronic address: lei@steele.mgh.harvard.edu.

PMID: 28911884
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.09.008

Abstract

Research of various diseases of the nervous system has shown that VEGF has direct neuroprotective effects in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and indirect effects on improving neuronal vessel perfusion which leads to nerve protection. In the tumors of the nervous system, VEGF plays a critical role in tumor angiogenesis and tumor progression. The effect of anti-VEGF treatment on nerve protection and function has been recently reported - by normalizing the tumor vasculature, anti-VEGF treatment is able to relieve nerve edema and deliver oxygen more efficiently into the nerve, thus reducing nerve damage and improving nerve function. This review aims to summarize the divergent roles of VEGF in diseases of the nervous system and the recent findings of anti-VEGF therapy in nerve damage/regeneration and function in tumors, specifically, in Neurofibromatosis type 2 associated schwannomas.

Keywords: Anti-VEGF treatment; Neurological function; Schwannoma.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Animals
Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
Cell Hypoxia / drug effects
Central Nervous System Neoplasms / blood supply
Central Nervous System Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Disease Models, Animal
Disease Progression
Humans
Molecular Targeted Therapy*
Neoplasm Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
Neoplasm Proteins / physiology
Neovascularization, Pathologic / drug therapy*
Neovascularization, Pathologic / etiology
Nerve Regeneration / drug effects
Nervous System Diseases / drug therapy
Nervous System Diseases / physiopathology
Neurofibromatosis 2*
Neuroma, Acoustic / blood supply
Neuroma, Acoustic / drug therapy*
Neuroma, Acoustic / genetics
Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / blood supply
Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Sciatic Nerve / blood supply
Sciatic Nerve / drug effects
Sciatic Nerve / physiopathology
Signal Transduction
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / antagonists & inhibitors*
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / physiology

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents
Neoplasm Proteins
VEGFA protein, human
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding