Hypoxia-dependent angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in cancer

Abstract

Hypoxia (low O2) is a ubiquitous feature of solid cancers, arising as a mismatch between cellular O2 supply and consumption. Hypoxia is associated to metastatic disease and mortality owing to its ability to stimulate the formation of blood (angiogenesis) and lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis), thereby allowing cancer cells to escape the unfavorable tumor microenvironment and disseminate into secondary sites. This review outlines molecular mechanisms by which intratumoral hypoxia regulates the expression of motogenic and mitogenic factors that induce angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, whilst discussing their implications for metastatic cancers.