ATLANTA, GA – Two avenues to overcome resistance to chemotherapy in a rare blood cancer have been discovered by a research team at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) led by Michael K. K. Wong, MD, Department of Medicine. This research (abstract # 9567)* will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, June 2-6, in Atlanta, GA.

Angiosarcoma is a rare cancer of endothelial cells (cells lining the blood vessels) that metastasizes widely and rapidly becomes resistant to chemotherapy. Roswell Park researchers elucidated the mechanisms of this resistance which could lead to much needed new therapeutic strategies and the identity of important pathways that may improve understanding of tumor angiogenesis.

In their study, the researchers established and characterized stable pre-chemotherapy (B8) and chemotherapy-resistant (D3) cell lines from an individual with a primary breast angiosarcoma before chemotherapy and later after development of resistance.

The results indicated that D3 cells differ dramatically from B8 cells in ways that make them more deadly. Though both cell lines were highly motile, the investigators found that the B8 cells retained their enhanced motility and invasiveness, even in the face of chemotherapy. This explains how rapid metastasis can occur in these patients. This also means that cancer drugs that affect cell migration could be effective in patients diagnosed with this disease.

The investigators found that the D3 cells depended on Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) for their growth. Building upon this clue, they subsequently showed that the anti-VEGF drug bevacizumab was able to significantly inhibit the growth of these tumor cells in vitro. This new insight opens the door to begin exploring the use of bevacizumab and similar type drugs in angiosarcoma.     

The American Society of Clinical Oncology is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer. ASCO’s more than 20,000 members from the United States and abroad set the standard for patient care and lead the efforts to discover more effective cancer treatments, increase funding for clinical and translational research, and ultimately, improve cancer care for the estimated 10 million people diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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*Material is embargoed until presentation: Michael K.K. Wong, MD, Department of Medicine, RPCI, will present abstract # 9567 – “The mechanism of human angiosarcoma drug resistance)” in the general poster session (Board # L1) on Monday, June 5, 1 pm EST.