Naumov G N, MacDonald I C, Chambers A F, Groom A C
Medical Biophysics Department, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1.
Semin Cancer Biol. 2001 Aug;11(4):271-6. doi: 10.1006/scbi.2001.0382.
Metastasis can occur many years after primary tumour treatment. However, the status of the tumour during this period of dormancy is poorly understood. As part of our ongoing experimental studies on mechanisms of metastasis, we have discovered that large numbers of disseminated single cells may persist in secondary sites for extended time periods. Identification of these cells was facilitated by in vivo techniques developed to quantify the fate of individual cells during the metastatic process. Here we review these in vivo techniques and findings. We also discuss the potential clinical implications if dormant solitary cells exist in appreciable numbers in cancer patients.
转移可能在原发性肿瘤治疗多年后发生。然而，人们对肿瘤在这段休眠期的状态了解甚少。作为我们正在进行的转移机制实验研究的一部分，我们发现大量播散的单个细胞可能在继发部位长期存在。为量化转移过程中单个细胞的命运而开发的体内技术有助于识别这些细胞。在此，我们回顾这些体内技术和研究结果。我们还讨论了如果癌症患者体内存在数量可观的休眠孤立细胞可能产生的潜在临床意义。
