Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Kyungbuk, South Korea.
Mol Imaging Biol. 2011 Jun;13(3):471-480. doi: 10.1007/s11307-010-0366-1.
Researchers have been studying the mechanisms by which metastasis can be prevented via blocking the hematogenous and the lymphatic routes for a long time now. However, metastasis is still the single most challenging obstacle for successful cancer management. In a new twist that may require some retooling of this established approach, we investigated the hypothesis that tumor metastases can occur via an independent fluid-conducting system called the primo-vascular system.
The dissemination and growth of near-infrared quantum dot (NIR QD)-electroporated cancer cells in metastatic sites were investigated using in vivo multispectral imaging techniques.
Our results show that the NIR QD-labeled cancer cells were able to migrate through not only the blood vascular and lymphatic systems but also the primo-vascular system extending from around the tumor to inside the abdominal cavity. Furthermore, the NIR QD-labeled cancer cells, which had been seeded intraperitoneally, specifically infiltrated the primo-vascular system in the omentum and in the gonadal fat.
These findings strongly suggest that the primo-vascular system may be an additional metastasis route, complementing the lymphatic and hematogenous routes, which facilitate the dissemination and colonization of cancer cells at secondary sites.
研究人员长期以来一直在研究通过阻断血源性和淋巴途径来预防转移的机制。然而，转移仍然是成功治疗癌症的最大挑战。在一个新的转折中，这可能需要对这种既定方法进行一些调整，我们假设肿瘤转移可以通过一种称为原血管系统的独立流体传导系统发生。
使用体内多光谱成像技术研究了近红外量子点（NIR QD）电穿孔癌细胞在转移部位的扩散和生长。
我们的结果表明，NIR QD 标记的癌细胞不仅能够通过血管系统和淋巴系统迁移，而且能够通过从肿瘤周围延伸到腹腔内的原血管系统迁移。此外，已经接种于腹腔内的 NIR QD 标记的癌细胞特异性地浸润到大网膜和生殖腺脂肪中的原血管系统。
这些发现强烈表明，原血管系统可能是一种额外的转移途径，补充了淋巴和血源性途径，促进了癌细胞在继发性部位的扩散和定植。
