Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata, 990-9585, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):1150. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80694-3.
The aim of this study was to examine whether lymphatic invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) occurs when tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) injure lymphatic vessels together with cancer cells. While there was no difference in the lymphatic vessel density in PTC and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), the number of TAMs around the lymphatic vessels was increased in PTC compared to that in FTC. In particular, TAMs were observed together with cancer cells in lymphatic invasive lesions, and the number of M2 cells inside and outside the lymphatic vessels showed a significant correlation. MMP-2 mRNA was expressed in nonneoplastic stromal cells as well as cancer cells, and double immunofluorescence staining confirmed M2 positivity. Consequently, this study reveals that M2 TAMs around lymphatic vessels within the tumour border of PTC may be associated with the lymphatic invasion of cancer cells. This study represents a step forward in elucidating the mechanism of lymphatic invasion.
本研究旨在探讨肿瘤相关巨噬细胞（TAMs）是否会与癌细胞一起损伤淋巴管，从而导致甲状腺乳头状癌（PTC）中的淋巴管浸润。尽管 PTC 和滤泡状甲状腺癌（FTC）中的淋巴管密度没有差异，但与 FTC 相比，PTC 中淋巴管周围的 TAMs 数量增加。特别是，在淋巴管浸润性病变中观察到 TAMs 与癌细胞一起存在，并且淋巴管内外的 M2 细胞数量呈显著相关性。MMP-2mRNA 在非肿瘤性基质细胞和癌细胞中均有表达，双免疫荧光染色证实了 M2 的阳性。因此，本研究揭示了 PTC 肿瘤边界内淋巴管周围的 M2 TAMs 可能与癌细胞的淋巴管浸润有关。这项研究是阐明淋巴管浸润机制的重要一步。
