Galectins, a family of endogenous glycan-binding proteins, play different roles in tumor-related processes including tumor transformation, metastasis, angiogenesis, and tumor-immune escape. In spite of considerable progress in elucidating the role of individual galectins in tumor biology, an integrated portrait of the galectin network in different tumor microenvironments is missing. Laderach and colleagues identified a unique galectin signature during human prostate cancer progression characterized by lower levels of galectins-3, -4, -9 and -12, no changes in galectin-8 expression, and dramatic upregulation of galectin-1. In human prostate cancer tissue, galectin-1 expression correlated with the presence of blood vessels in advanced disease. This endogenous lectin promoted prostate cancer angiogenesis through mechanisms that were independent of classical proangiogenic factors, suggesting a tractable independent target for prostate cancer therapy in advanced stages of the disease. For details, please see the article by Laderach and colleagues on page 86.