Lymphangiogenesis factor in the lymph node metastasis of head and neck cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Early lymph node metastasis is a common clinical phenomenon in many human cancers, which is associated with both aggressive disease and poor prognosis. Clearly, treatments to specifically block dissemination through the lymphatic network would be desirable either as independent therapies or as adjuncts to existing chemotherapy. At the present stage the target vessels for invasion by lymph-metastasizing tumor cells include preexisting tissue lymphatics abutting the tumor mass through either coincidence or mutual chemoattraction, as well as new lymphatic vessels that proliferate either within or around the tumor as a result of lymphangiogenesis. The lymphangiogenesis is regulated primarily by the lymphangiogenic growth factors VEGF-C and VEGF-D generated by tumor cells or host cells including tissue macrophages. Nevertheless, it remains controversial as to whether this metastasis-enhancing effect simply results from an increase of the number of target vessels due to mitogenesis or from other properties of the newly dividing tumor lymphatics.