In gastric cancer, lymph node metastasis is one of the major prognostic factors and forms the basis for surgical removal of local lymph nodes. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that overexpression of lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF-C or VEGF-D induces tumor lymphangiogenesis and promotes lymphatic metastasis in mouse tumor models. We examined whether these processes could be inhibi...

Many questions remain regarding the mechanism of cervical lymph node metastasis via lymphatic vessels. We report here the three-dimensional dynamics of the lymphatic architecture around tumor during growth of implanted VX2 tongue cancer. The tongue and the deep cervical lymph nodes of rabbits were observed at 3, 7 and 10 days after transplantation of VX2 cancer cells (n = 5 in each group). Lymp...

Lymphatic vessels in primary tumor tissue play an important role in lymphatic metastasis. Lymphatic metastasis of malignant neoplasms is significantly related to prognosis, influencing both recurrence and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of intra-tumoral lymphatic vessel density (iLVD) and peri-tumoral lymphatic vessel density (pLVD) with biological behavior an...

BACKGROUND The degree of lymph node metastasis represents an important prognostic factor for cancer. Lymphovascular invasion is a traditional tool for estimating the aggressiveness of colorectal cancer. AIM To determine correlations between lymphatic invasion and lymph node metastasis or disease stage, and clarify the prognostic impact of lymphatic invasion. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients (N...

Many human tumors, such as those of the breast, metastasize initially via the lymphatics. The tumor cell surface is believed to play a critical role in this process. To study the cell surface properties involved in dissemination, the poorly metastasizing R3230AC rat mammary adenocarcinoma was enriched for metastasizing cells by excising rare lymph node metastases arising after the s.c. injectio...

BACKGROUND Lymphatic metastasis is the most important parameter in the spread of gastric carcinomas. Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule that plays an important role in inflammation and carcinogenesis. In this study, the possible link between inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression with lymphangiogenesis and the clinicopathological parameters of gastric carcinomas was investigat...

Malignant tumors release growth factors such as VEGF-C to induce lymphatic vessel expansion (lymphangiogenesis) in primary tumors and in draining sentinel LNs, thereby promoting LN metastasis. Surprising recent evidence suggests that lymphatic vessels do not merely represent passive channels for tumor spread, but that they may actively promote tumor cell recruitment to LNs, cancer stem cell sur...

Metastasis the spread of cancer cells to distant organs, is the main cause of death for cancer patients. Metastasis is often mediated by lymphatic vessels that invade the primary tumor, and an early sign of metastasis is the presence of cancer cells in the regional lymph node (the first lymph node colonized by metastasizing cancer cells from a primary tumor). Understanding the interplay between...

The lymphatic system, also named the second vascular system, plays a critical role in tissue homeostasis and immunosurveillance. The past two decades of intensive research have led to the identification and detailed understanding of many molecular players and mechanisms regulating the formation of the lymphatic vasculature during embryonic development. Furthermore, clinical and experimental dat...

Purpose: Lymph node metastasis is an important prognostic factor in patients with early gastric cancer. Therefore, we analyzed the predictive factors for lymph node metastasis in submucosal gastric cancer and explored the feasibility of minimally invasive surgery. Methods: The clinicopathological features of 317 patients with submucosal gastric cancer, who underwent radical gastrectomy with lym...