Welch Danny R
Department of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0019, USA.
Breast Dis. 2006;26:3-12. doi: 10.3233/bd-2007-26102.
Metastasis is the most lethal attribute of cancer cells and clinical decisions regarding treatment are based largely upon the likelihood of developing metastases. However, improvements in detection as well as recent experimental data have raised questions about the most appropriate definition of a metastasis, especially whether the mere presence of cells at secondary sites constitute a metastatic lesion. After reviewing the experimental basis of metastasis, a definition of metastasis is proffered along with a proposal to consider regarding modification of staging parameters.
转移是癌细胞最致命的特性,关于治疗的临床决策很大程度上基于发生转移的可能性。然而,检测技术的进步以及近期的实验数据引发了关于转移最恰当定义的问题,尤其是在继发部位单纯出现细胞是否构成转移病灶。在回顾转移的实验基础后,本文提出了转移的定义,并建议考虑修改分期参数。