Does hypoxia protect tumors?
Although intuitively, inefficient blood flow may seem like a flaw in solid tumor structure, in fact, evidence suggests that the tumor vasculature may act as a protective net against destruction. In prostate tumors, both immunomolecular imaging and physical measurement of molecular markers of hypoxia have provided evidence of tumor hypoxia. Reviewing more than 200 articles for Cancer Treatment Reviews, a group of Irish researchers examined the evidence regarding the occurrence, role and routine clinical importance of hypoxia in prostate tumors. In particular, they focused on the molecular pathways involved in the induction of gene expression in response to hypoxia.The authors first examine the clinical relevance of hypoxia in prostate cancer, noting that recognition of the role of hypoxia in disease progression may facilitate the identification of new biomarkers we well as the development of novel therapies. The key to examining hypoxia is understanding its molecular signature, hypoxia-
