Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany.
Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Dec 16;21(24):9592. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249592.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a rare tumor cell subpopulation induced and selected by the tumor microenvironment's extreme conditions. Under hypoxia and starvation, these aggressive and invasive cells are able to invade the lymphatic and circulatory systems. Escaping from the primary tumor, CTCs enter into the bloodstream to form metastatic deposits or re-establish themselves in cancer's primary site. Although radiotherapy is widely used to cure solid malignancies, it can promote metastasis. Radiation can disrupt the primary tumor vasculature, increasing the dissemination of CTCs. Radiation also induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and eliminates suppressive signaling, causing the proliferation of existent, but previously dormant, disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). In this review, we collect the results and evidence underlying the molecular mechanisms of CTCs and DTCs and the effects of radiation and hypoxia in developing these cells.
循环肿瘤细胞（CTCs）是肿瘤微环境极端条件诱导和选择的一种罕见的肿瘤细胞亚群。在缺氧和饥饿的情况下，这些侵袭性和浸润性细胞能够侵袭淋巴和循环系统。从原发肿瘤中逃脱后，CTCs 进入血液，形成转移灶或在癌症原发部位重新建立。虽然放疗被广泛用于治疗实体恶性肿瘤，但它可以促进转移。辐射可以破坏原发肿瘤的血管，增加 CTCs 的播散。辐射还诱导上皮-间充质转化（EMT）并消除抑制信号，导致已存在但以前休眠的播散性肿瘤细胞（DTCs）的增殖。在这篇综述中，我们收集了支持 CTCs 和 DTCs 分子机制以及辐射和缺氧在这些细胞发展中作用的结果和证据。
