3-DIMENSIONAL MODELING OF TUMOR-INDUCED OVARIAN ANGIOGENESIS

It is now well established that unrestricted growth of tumors is depen dent upon angiogenesis. However, previous studies on tumor growth have not yet revealed how the transition to an angiogenetic state in ovari an malignancy is reflected in the vascular architecture of the ovary. We report here our preliminary observations based upon three-dimension al imaging of normal and tumor-induced ovarian angiogenesis created wi th a computer-assisted three-dimensional interactive application. The findings suggest that tumor-induced angiogenesis creates a bizarre vas cular architecture, with a possible link to chaotic behavior.