Metastasis

Conference · Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:6141096

Weller, R E

Distant metastasis of primary neoplasms is the main factor that limits the success of antineoplastic therapy. It can be regarded as an early or late event in the neoplastic process, and varies considerably with tumor type. The metastatic potential of a given tumor greatly influences prognosis. Tumor metastasis is not a single neoplastic event, rather, it involves several major steps: invasion of cells from the primary tumor into tissue, and penetration of blood and lymph vessels; release of tumor cell emboli into the circulation; arrest of the emboli in capillary beds of distant organs; invasion of the wall of the arresting vessel, infiltration into adjacent tissue, and multiplication; and growth of vascularized stroma into the new tumor as proliferating tumor cells invade the distant organ. Lodgement and invasion are complex events that are not fully defined. Arrest and lodgement appears to require a thromboembolic event in which the metastatic embolis (1 cell) contacts vascular endothelium and adheres to the wall with thrombis formation following aggregation of platelets and fibrin to the tumor cell(s). Invasion may involve: formation of collagenases by tumor cells; mechanical disruption; chemotactic factors. Metastatic patterns depend on the route of metastasis, tumor type, and target organ (favored soil). In general, carcinomas metastasize via lymphatics and sarcomas via hematogenous routes. Others, melanoma, mast cell tumors, etc., show mixed patterns. This knowledge is important when one is attempting to prognostically stage a tumor, especially when thoracic radiographs are negative. The question of enlarged regional lymph nodes will be discussed in lecture relative to specific tumor types. 4 refs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6141096
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-16355-Rev.1; CONF-9110254-3-Rev.1; ON: DE92002985
• Resource Relation: Conference: Tuskegee lecture series, Tuskegee, AL (United States), 20-26 Oct 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
NEOPLASMS
METASTASES
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BLOOD VESSELS
CAPILLARIES
CARCINOMAS
CELL PROLIFERATION
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
MAST CELLS
MELANOMAS
SARCOMAS
VETERINARY MEDICINE
ANIMAL CELLS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASES
MEDICINE
ORGANS
SOMATIC CELLS
553005* - Agriculture & Food Technology- Animal Husbandry- (1987-)