KDR and gastric cancer: Angiogenesis is an important component of tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis,[30,31] while vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors, specifically VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), are predominantly responsible for angiogenic signaling.[32,33] Apatinib is a small molecule VEGFR inhibitor with China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) approval for the treatment of advanced or metastatic chemotherapy-refractory GC.