COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A new study indicates that the anti-tumor compound endostatin works two ways to fight Kaposi's sarcoma, the most common AIDS-related cancer.
Susan Mallery, the study's lead author and a professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery and pathology at Ohio State University's College of Dentistry says endostatin seems to strike Kaposi's sarcoma lesions by preventing tumors from growing new blood vessels. It also works against Kaposi's sarcoma by stopping tumor cells from migrating through the body.
Kaposi's sarcoma is similar to most other cancers in that it relies on the growth of blood vessels in order to thrive. But the cancer is unique in that its cells both produce and respond to substances called growth factors. That's something not seen in other cancers and makes KS a very aggressive disease.
But in tests administration of endostatin locally to KS cells saw dramatic improvement within two hours.
The study appears in a recent issue of the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.
