Angiogenesis, immune system and growth factors: new targets in colorectal cancer therapy

Colorectal cancer is the second most common malignant human neoplasia. Over recent years, many efforts have been performed in order to develop and improve therapeutic protocols, and many advances have been accomplished in both the field of adjuvant and palliative therapy. Most of the chemotherapic agents currently used in the clinical setting are the products of decades of research aimed at inhibiting the uncontrolled growth of dysplastic cells. However, new frontiers in this field have recently been opened, with the identification of key molecules involved in physiologic mechanisms that are of fundamental importance for cancer development and progression. Tumor-induced angiogenesis, the cancer-immune system crosstalk and the effect of growth factors on dysplastic cells represent new fields of investigation for anticancer therapy.