Nisato Riccardo E, Tille Jean-Christophe, Pepper Michael S
Department of Morphology, University Medical Center, Geneva, Switzerland.
Thromb Haemost. 2003 Oct;90(4):591-7. doi: 10.1160/TH03-04-0206.
In several human cancers, increased expression in primary tumors of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is correlated with regional lymph node metastasis. Studies using transgenic mice overexpressing VEGF-C, or xenotransplantation of VEGF-C-expressing tumor cells into immunodeficient mice, have demonstrated a role for VEGF-C in tumor lymphangiogenesis and the subsequent formation of lymph node metastasis. However, at variance with data obtained in animal models, there is at present very little evidence for lymphangiogenesis in human tumors. Nonetheless, the striking correlation between levels of VEGF-C in primary human tumors and lymph node metastases exists, which suggests that VEGF-C may serve functions other than lymphangiogenesis. Thus, VEGF-C may activate pre-existing lymphatics which in turn become directly involved in tumor cell chemotaxis, intralymphatic intravasation and distal dissemination. A reciprocal dialogue is therefore likely to exist between tumor and lymphatic endothelial cells which results in the formation of lymph node metastases.
在几种人类癌症中，原发性肿瘤中血管内皮生长因子C（VEGF-C）表达增加与区域淋巴结转移相关。使用过表达VEGF-C的转基因小鼠，或将表达VEGF-C的肿瘤细胞异种移植到免疫缺陷小鼠体内的研究，已经证明VEGF-C在肿瘤淋巴管生成及随后的淋巴结转移形成中发挥作用。然而，与在动物模型中获得的数据不同，目前在人类肿瘤中几乎没有淋巴管生成的证据。尽管如此，原发性人类肿瘤中VEGF-C水平与淋巴结转移之间存在显著相关性，这表明VEGF-C可能具有淋巴管生成以外的功能。因此，VEGF-C可能激活已有的淋巴管，进而直接参与肿瘤细胞的趋化性、淋巴管内渗和远处播散。因此，肿瘤细胞与淋巴管内皮细胞之间可能存在相互作用，从而导致淋巴结转移的形成。
