Anti-angiogenic efficacy of aflibercept and bevacizumab in primary oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, anti-angiogenic treatment strategy has been well described in cancer treatment. The anti-angiogenic activity of both bevacizumab and aflibercept has been researched on 10 previously established primary oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells of an Iranian population with different levels of purity, in an attempt to find the most effective anti-angiogenic-targeted drug.

METHODS: To investigate and compare the effect of bevacizumab and aflibercept on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion of 10 primary OSCC cells, cell proliferation and viability were assessed by ELISA and MTT assays. In addition, cell migration was studied using scratch assay.

RESULTS: The results showed that VEGF impressively expressed in all primary cancer cells. Although both drugs significantly reduced the secretion of VEGF, the effect of aflibercept was more prominent. Also, bevacizumab-treated cells migration was lower than the control group and the cells treated with aflibercept showed the lowest migration rate compared to bevacizumab and control groups.

CONCLUSION: The anti-angiogenic-targeted drugs, especially Af, might be effective in treatment of patients with OSCC in combination with conventional surgical treatments.