Anti- vascular endothelial growth factor (Anti-VEGF) as a potential novel adjunct in the management of choroidal melanoma

Abstract

Tumor microvascularity is a significant determinant of prognosis for a large number of different tumors, including choroidal melanoma. The development of blood vessels within these and other tumors is partly controlled by soluble pro-angiogenic cytokines, of which basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) are the best described. The vitreo-retinal service in the recent years enjoyed a high level of success in managing choroidal neovascularization using anti-VEGF strategies. Efficacy and tolerability have been demonstrated for drugs targeting VEGF-A. In this article, we briefly review the evidences supporting involvement of VEGF-A in the pathogenesis of choroidal melanoma and then based on these evidences, we hypothesize the local application of anti-VEGF agents may stop the progression or prevent the metastasis from choroidal melanoma.