Exudative AMD and Cancer: Is there a clinically relevant connection in the comorbidity of these two diseases in patients treated with anti-VEGF agents for exudative AMD?

The treatment of Exudative AMD (EAMD) has been revolutionised through the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments 1. However, a number of patients appear to either not respond or partially respond to treatment 2. It has been suggested that comorbidities might influence the effectiveness of anti-VEGF therapies, such as the development of cancer, which is also prevalent amongst the elderly population. There are many parallels between cancers and EAMD including dependence on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for disease progression 3. Systemic VEGF production is required and augmented in cancer and it is possible that this increased production could augment EAMD and lead to a poor response to anti-VEGF agents. This study aims to identify if patients with both cancer and EAMD have more circulating systemic VEGF than patients with EAMD alone.