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Hellenic Archives of Pathology, Volume 19, Issues 1-3, 2005
Lymphatic system: Lymphangiogenesis
and lymphatic cancer dissemination
Nonni A, Patsouris E.
1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens
The ability of tumour cells to metastasize is responsible for the majority of cancer patients' deaths. The lymphatic system is the primary route of metastasis. Despite its apparently important role in tumour dissemination, it remains unclear whether preexisting lymphatic vessels are sufficient to serve the metastasis or whether de novo lymphangiogenesis is required. This review refers to the structural and functional characteristics of the lymphatic vessels and to the recent evidence of tumour lymphangiogenesis and its correlation with metastasis. Molecular regulation of tumour lymphangiogenesis is also discussed. Although the progress that seems to have been achieved in this field, it has not been determined yet, whether the inhibition of lymphangiogenesis could be a realistic therapeutic strategy for inhibiting tumour cell dissemination.
Key words: Cancer, lymphatic dissemination, lymphangiogenesis.
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