1. ¹Department of Radiation Oncology, UTMD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
2. ²Department of Radiation Oncology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Correspondence: AP Dicker, Department of Radiation Oncology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Kimmel Cancer Center, 111 South 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5097, USA. E-mail: adam.dicker@mail.tju.edu

Received 21 June 2004; Revised 15 October 2004; Accepted 3 November 2004; Published online 11 January 2005.

Abstract

Antiandrogen therapy is an important modality in the treatment of prostate cancer. Recent research into the role of angiogenesis in tumour growth and metastasis has uncovered links between antiandrogen therapy, radiation therapy and angiogenesis, which have exciting implications for the treatment of prostate cancer. Angiogenic cytokines such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been identified in prostate cancer cells and tumours, and androgens appear to stimulate VEGF. This article assesses the antiangiogenic effects of hormonal therapy and assesses the role that angiogenesis may play in the observed cooperation between hormonal and radiation therapies for prostate cancer.