ABSTRACT
The functional and morphological characteristics of tumor vasculature are critical determinants of tumor growth, metastatic potential, and therapeutic response (1,2). For example, tumors require a nutritive blood supply in order to proliferate, and high vascular density has been linked to poor prognosis (3-5). A functional tumor blood supply also dictates the potential to improve tumor oxygenation for optimizing radiotherapy, or for delivering chemotherapeutic agents to the tumor cells. In addition, the tumor vasculature itself has now become an attractive target for antiangiogenic and antivascular therapies (6).
