MacDonald Ian C, Chambers Ann F
Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada.
Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2006 Sep;6(9):1271-9. doi: 10.1586/14737140.6.9.1271.
Metastasis is the spread of cells from a primary tumor to a distant site, where they arrest and grow to form a secondary tumor. Conventional metastasis models have focused primarily on analysis of end point tumor formation following inoculation with tumor cells. This approach can be used to measure the metastatic potential of cell lines, the morphology of metastases and their vasculature and the overall effectiveness of treatment strategies. However, it cannot, reveal the dynamics of metastatic progression, tumor cell interactions with host tissues or the characteristics of blood flow within the tumor microvasculature. Intravital videomicroscopy has been developed to visualize and quantify the movement of tumor cells and their interactions with host tissues as they travel through metastatic pathways within the body and arrest at secondary sites. Intravital videomicroscopy can also be used to quantify the morphology and functional capacity of tumor microvasculature, as well as the timing and dynamic effects of drugs targeted to disrupt tumor vasculaturization. With the development of new fluorescent probes and reporter genes, intravital videomicroscopy has the potential to provide evidence of the timing and location of metabolic processes within the metastatic cascade that may serve as specific targets for the treatment of breast cancer.
转移是指细胞从原发性肿瘤扩散到远处部位，在那里它们停留并生长形成继发性肿瘤。传统的转移模型主要集中在接种肿瘤细胞后对终点肿瘤形成的分析上。这种方法可用于测量细胞系的转移潜能、转移灶及其脉管系统的形态以及治疗策略的整体有效性。然而，它无法揭示转移进展的动态过程、肿瘤细胞与宿主组织的相互作用或肿瘤微脉管系统内的血流特征。活体视频显微镜已被开发出来，用于可视化和量化肿瘤细胞在体内通过转移途径移动并在继发性位点停留时与宿主组织的相互作用。活体视频显微镜还可用于量化肿瘤微脉管系统的形态和功能能力，以及靶向破坏肿瘤血管形成的药物的作用时间和动态效果。随着新型荧光探针和报告基因的发展，活体视频显微镜有潜力提供转移级联内代谢过程的时间和位置的证据，这些过程可能成为乳腺癌治疗的特定靶点。
