TY - JOUR AU - Retsky, Michael W. AU - Hrushesky, William JM AU - Gukas, Isaac D. PY - 2009 DA - 2009/01/08 TI - Hypothesis: primary antiangiogenic method proposed to treat early stage breast cancer JO - BMC Cancer SP - 7 VL - 9 IS - 1 AB - Women with Down syndrome very rarely develop breast cancer even though they now live to an age when it normally occurs. This may be related to the fact that Down syndrome persons have an additional copy of chromosome 21 where the gene that codes for the antiangiogenic protein Endostatin is located. Can this information lead to a primary antiangiogenic therapy for early stage breast cancer that indefinitely prolongs remission? A key question that arises is when is the initial angiogenic switch thrown in micrometastases? We have conjectured that avascular micrometastases are dormant and relatively stable if undisturbed but that for some patients angiogenesis is precipitated by surgery. We also proposed that angiogenesis of micrometastases very rarely occurs before surgical removal of the primary tumor. If that is so, it seems possible that we could suggest a primary antiangiogenic therapy but the problem then arises that starting a therapy before surgery would interfere with wound healing. SN - 1471-2407 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-9-7 DO - 10.1186/1471-2407-9-7 ID - Retsky2009 ER -