Cancer research has opened a new avenue of treatment options for neovascular eye conditions, including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The common factor is the growth of abnormal new blood vessels. In the case of cancer, a solid tumor must have a blood supply in order to grow. The tumor tricks the circulatory system into providing it with new blood vessels, in a process called angiogenesis. In the wet form of macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow under the retina and leak blood, which interferes with retinal function. Researchers have identified a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF, which is involved in the process of blood vessel growth. Drugs that block the function of VEGF are used to treat both cancer and neovascular eye conditions.
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