Antiangiogenesis increases effectiveness of Radiation

Treatment with antiangiogenesis drugs may improve the effectiveness of radiation treatment of nervous system tumors that interfere with the hearing of patients with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). The use of an antiangiogenesis drug reduced the radiation dose required to shrink tumors in animal models of the NF2-associated tumors called vestibular schwannomas. They also discovered several mechanisms behind this effect and determined the time window during which radiation therapy produces the best results in the tested model. "We found that treatment with an antibody blocking the angiogenic factor VEGF improves neurologic function in our mouse model by alleviating tissue edema, which may further improve neurologic function by decreasing muscle atrophy and increasing nerve regeneration, both of which we observed."
"NF2 is a disease that needs new solutions, and we demonstrated that combining anti-VEGF with radiation therapy can achieve better tumor control, allowing a reduction in radiation dose that can minimize neurological toxicity," says Xu, who is an assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School. "Our study provides compelling rationale and paves the way for further testing of combined therapy in human patients, and we are currently planning a clinical trial."