Angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis in haematological diseases

While it is well established that the growth of solid tumours is angiogenesis-dependent, it had assumed that leukemias and other haematological malignancies were not. The role of angiogenesis in growth and survival of these tumours has only been realised in the past 10 years. This review summarises the literature concerning the relationship between angiogenesis and disease progression of several haematological diseases. It is becoming increasingly evident that agents which interfere with blood vessels formation also block tumour progression and accordingly, anti-angiogenic therapy has gained much interest as a potential adjunct to conventional therapy for many haematological tumours.