The impact of pamidronate and chemotherapy on survival times in dogs with appendicular primary bone tumors treated with palliative radiation therapy.

Objective: To assess survival times in dogs that received palliative radiation therapy (RT) alone, and in combination with chemotherapy, pamidronate, or both for primary appendicular bone tumors and determine whether the addition of these adjunctive therapies affects survival.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Dogs (n = 50) with primary appendicular bone tumors.

VEGFR2 expression and TGF-β signaling in initial and recurrent high-grade human glioma.

Objective: Bevacizumab has promising activity against glioma, although reasons for poor efficacy and variable response rates in certain patients are unclear. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is heterogeneously expressed within the microvasculature of various malignancies. Moreover, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), a negative prognostic factor for glioma, is intimately involved in angiogenesis including VEGFR2 regulation.

VEGFR2 heterogeneity and response to anti-angiogenic low dose metronomic cyclophosphamide treatment.

Background: Targeting tumor vasculature is a strategy with great promise in the treatment of many cancers. However, anti-angiogenic reagents that target VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling have met with variable results clinically. Among the possible reasons for this may be heterogeneous expression of the target protein.