SOUSA, Glória Virna Leal de.
Abstract:
Skin cancer is one of the most common neoplasms in the world, and is classified as
melanoma and non-melanoma, with the former standing out due to its high aggressiveness.
Among the mechanisms that favor its progression, angiogenesis stands out, a process of
formation of new blood vessels that provides nutritional support to the tumor and facilitates
metastatic spread. This narrative review aims to describe the role of angiogenesis as a tumor
marker in the prognosis and treatment of skin cancer, addressing the main pro- and
anti-angiogenic factors involved. A literature review was performed in scientific databases
and relevant articles were selected and analyzed. The results indicate that the overexpression
of pro-angiogenic factors, such as VEGF and FGF-2, and the reduction of anti-angiogenic
factors, such as thrombospondin-1 and endostatin, are directly related to greater tumor
aggressiveness, lower survival rate and higher microvascular density. In addition to being
considered an important prognostic marker, angiogenesis has also been the target of
innovative therapeutic approaches, such as the use of specific inhibitors that block angiogenic
signaling. It is concluded that understanding the regulatory mechanisms of angiogenesis in
skin cancer can contribute to the development of more effective therapies, promoting better
clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients.
