SUMMARY Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain how antiangiogenic drugs enhance the treatment efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy including impairing the ability of chemotherapy-responsive tumors to regrow after therapy. With respect to the latter, we show that certain chemotherapy drugs, e.g. paclitaxel, can rapidly induce pro-angiogenic bone marrow derived circulating endothelial cell (CEP) mobilization, and subsequent tumor homing, whereas others, e.g. gemcitabine, did not. Acute CEP mobilization was mediated, at least in part, by systemic induction of SDF-1α and could be prevented by various procedures such as treatment with anti-VEGFR2 blocking antibodies or by paclitaxel treatment in CEP-deficient Id-mutant mice, both of which resulted in enhanced anti-tumor effects mediated by paclitaxel, but not gemcitabine.

Inhibiting the VEGF/VEGFR pathway is an effective approach to treat cancer. It has also provided new insight into the physiological role of this pathway in various organs. Integrating the knowledge in daily oncological practice will be a challenge for the future.

A pharmacokinetically guided individualized dosing algorithm was successfully applied and evaluated. The dosing algorithm led to patients being treated at dosages ranging from 400 to 1,800 mg daily. Further studies are needed to show a benefit of individualized dosing on clinical outcomes, such as progression-free survival. Clin Cancer Res; 22(23); 5738-46. ©2016 AACRSee related commentary by Ornstein and Rini, p. 5626.

This article acknowledges a leading role for MTBs to govern (extensive) tumor sequencing into daily practice and proposes three basic necessities for successful MTB implementation: (i) global harmonization in cancer sequencing practices and procedures, (ii) minimal member and operational requirements, and (iii) an appropriate unsolicited findings policy. Meeting these prerequisites would not only optimize MTB functioning but also improve general interpretation and application of genomics-guided cancer care.

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