Abstract
BACKGROUND: Natural and diet-derived angiogenesis inhibitors/promotors are widely found in diets. These compounds can in several ways impact the results of oncological research of angiogenesis inhibitors. METHODS: We very briefly overview some of the most important examples to show how these compounds can create a bias in current research of cancer. Implications of this expert opinion cover similar angiogenesis-related diseases. RESULTS: Significant intra-individual differences in terms of dietary intake and differential effect of food processing techniques result in differential bioactivity and bioavailability of these compounds. There are only a handful of validated dietary questionnaire to quantify natural angiogenesis inhibitors/promotors. A corollary consequence is that participants in non-randomized clinical trials will have different baseline levels of serum/plasma/tissue/organ diet-derived angiogenesis inhibitors/promotors. This will lead to creation of clinical uncertainty and a hidden bias and consequently creation of translational efficiency bias, sampling efficiency, and waste of resources. We call for developing and validating a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to gather data on these agents, specifically designed for oncological research because there is a clear gap in the literature of oncology. CONCLUSIONS: This might facilitate the discovery of better prognostic, diagnostic, preventive measures, and therapeutic agents for the management of different cancers. Implications of this paper cover similar settings like ophthalmologic research.