The use of endostatin in the treatment of solid tumors

Background: Endostatin represents the most studied endogenous anti-angiogenesis peptide that has been found to inhibit angiogenesis and exhibit broad-spectrum antitumor activity in animal models. Clinical trials evaluating endostatin alone or in combination with other currently used strategies for the treatment of solid tumors has generated debatable efficacy results, albeit with low toxicity, immunogenicity and resistance. Objective/methods: We delineate the current knowledge regarding endostatin's mechanism of action during carcinogenesis, spotlight already reported and ongoing research concerning its clinical development, and discuss future perspectives and challenges for its potential therapeutic utility. Results/conclusions: After more than a decade of intense basic and clinical research since its original discovery it is still unclear whether endostatin has any clinically meaningful role in cancer therapeutics and more questions than answers have emerged.