Radinsky R, Ellis L M
Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas M.D., Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 1996 Apr;5(2):215-29.
A primary goal of cancer research is an increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms mediating the process of cancer metastasis. Analyses of colon cancer cells (the seeds) and the microenvironment (the soil) has increased our understanding of the biologic mechanisms mediating liver-specific metastasis. Insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating the pathobiology of cancer metastasis as well as a better understanding of the interaction between the metastatic cell and the host environment should produce a foundation for new therapeutic approaches. In this article we summarize experimental observations demonstrating the importance of specific factors that regulate various steps in the metastatic cascade. Furthermore, this article emphasizes the importance of the host organ's microenvironment and its role in liver metastasis formation. The production of metastases depends, in part, on the interaction of particular tumor cells with specific organ environments. Therefore, the successful metastatic cell must be viewed currently as a cell receptive to its environment. The analyses presented herein add important evidence to support the concept that cancer metastasis is not a random process; it is a highly regulated process that can be analyzed on the molecular level. To the clinician, it is readily apparent that by the time metastasis forms, most steps in the metastatic cascade have been completed. Therefore, therapy targeted to downregulate or interrupt the last stages of metastasis, proliferation and angiogenesis, should be the areas of greatest investigation in regards to treating established metastasis, whether they are microscopic or macroscopic.
癌症研究的一个主要目标是增进对介导癌症转移过程的分子机制的理解。对结肠癌细胞（种子）和微环境（土壤）的分析增进了我们对介导肝脏特异性转移的生物学机制的理解。深入了解调节癌症转移病理生物学的分子机制以及更好地理解转移细胞与宿主环境之间的相互作用，应为新的治疗方法奠定基础。在本文中，我们总结了实验观察结果，这些结果证明了调节转移级联反应各个步骤的特定因素的重要性。此外，本文强调了宿主器官微环境的重要性及其在肝转移形成中的作用。转移灶的形成部分取决于特定肿瘤细胞与特定器官环境的相互作用。因此，目前必须将成功的转移细胞视为对其环境具有接受性的细胞。本文所呈现的分析提供了重要证据，支持癌症转移不是一个随机过程的概念；它是一个高度受调控的过程，可以在分子水平上进行分析。对临床医生来说，显而易见的是，到转移灶形成时，转移级联反应的大多数步骤已经完成。因此，针对下调或中断转移的最后阶段，即增殖和血管生成的治疗，应该是治疗已形成的转移灶（无论其为微观还是宏观）的最主要研究领域。
