Davidson Ben
Department of Pathology, Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical Center, Montebello N-0310 Oslo, Norway.
Biomark Insights. 2007 May 30;2:173-84.
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a malignant tumor derived from mesothelial cells, native cells of the body cavities. Exposure to asbestos is the most strongly established etiologic factor, predominantly for the most common disease form, pleural mesothelioma. The pathogenesis of MM involves the accumulation of extensive cytogenetic changes, as well as cancer-related phenotypic alterations that facilitate tumor cell survival, invasion and metastasis. This review presents current knowledge regarding the biological characteristics of this disease that are linked to the so-called hallmarks of cancer. In addition, data suggesting that the anatomic site (solid tumor vs. effusion) affects the expression of metastasis-associated and regulatory molecules in MM are presented. Finally, recent work in which high-throughput methodology has been applied to MM research is reviewed. The data obtained in the reviewed research may aid in defining new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for this aggressive disease in the future.
恶性间皮瘤（MM）是一种源自间皮细胞（体腔的固有细胞）的恶性肿瘤。接触石棉是最明确的病因，主要与最常见的疾病形式——胸膜间皮瘤有关。MM的发病机制涉及广泛的细胞遗传学变化的积累，以及促进肿瘤细胞存活、侵袭和转移的癌症相关表型改变。本综述介绍了有关该疾病生物学特性的当前知识，这些特性与所谓的癌症特征相关。此外，还展示了表明解剖部位（实体瘤与积液）影响MM中转移相关分子和调节分子表达的数据。最后，对最近将高通量方法应用于MM研究的工作进行了综述。综述研究中获得的数据可能有助于未来为这种侵袭性疾病确定新的预后标志物和治疗靶点。
