Jackson D G
MRC Human Immunology Unit, Institute of Molecular Medicine John Radeliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, UK.
Anticancer Res. 2001 Nov-Dec;21(6B):4279-83.
The capacity of malignant tumours to metastasize to distant tissues presents a huge problem for the treatment of cancers using conventional surgical and cytotoxic drug therapies. One of the main routes for tumour spread is via the lymphatic vessels, an important conduit for tumours such as breast, lung and gastrointestinal tract that frequently colonize regional lymph nodes. In comparison with the vasculature however, little is known about the biology of tumour lymphatics, tumour lymphangiogenesis or the mechanisms that regulate entry and subsequent migration of tumour cells within lymphatic vessels. This situation has persisted because of the lack of specific molecular markers with which to visualize even normal lymphatics within tissues or to isolate lymphatic endothelial cells for in vitro experimental analysis. Just recently however, novel markers for lymphatic endothelial cells have been identified and their availability has revolutionized research in this field. In this article we highlight the main characteristics of these markers and review recent progress in their use to study tumour lymphangiogenesis.
恶性肿瘤转移至远处组织的能力给使用传统外科手术和细胞毒性药物疗法治疗癌症带来了巨大问题。肿瘤扩散的主要途径之一是通过淋巴管，对于乳腺癌、肺癌和胃肠道癌等经常侵袭区域淋巴结的肿瘤来说，淋巴管是一个重要的通道。然而，与血管系统相比，人们对肿瘤淋巴管生物学、肿瘤淋巴管生成以及调节肿瘤细胞进入淋巴管并在其中后续迁移的机制知之甚少。由于缺乏特异性分子标记物，甚至无法在组织中可视化正常淋巴管，也无法分离淋巴管内皮细胞进行体外实验分析，这种情况一直持续。然而，就在最近，已鉴定出淋巴管内皮细胞的新型标记物，它们的出现彻底改变了该领域的研究。在本文中，我们重点介绍这些标记物的主要特征，并综述它们在研究肿瘤淋巴管生成方面的最新进展。
