Surrogate markers in antiangiogenesis clinical trials

Novel antiangiogenic agents currently being developed may ultimately be more effective against solid tumours and less toxic than cytotoxic chemotherapy. As a result of the early clinical trials of angiogenesis inhibitors, investigators are beginning to appreciate the complexity of targeting angiogenesis and the realisation that developing clinically useful antiangiogenic therapy will be more challenging than originally thought. It is now apparent that new methods and surrogate markers to assess these agents' biological activity are crucial for their successful development. This review summarises the currently available clinical data on the development of surrogate markers of angiogenesis inhibitors.