Block the way for metastases
A way has been found to stop the spread of cancer cells through lymphatic vessels
German researchers have discovered an antibody that causes the death of lymphatic vessels in malignant tumors of mice. Thus, cancer cells cannot move around the body and form metastases. Scientists plan to continue human studies and develop new approaches to prevent the dangerous spread of tumor cells. The article was published in the journal Cancer Discovery (Gengenbacher et al., Timed Ang2-targeted therapy identifies the Angiopoietin-Tie pathway as a key regulator of fatal lymphogenic metastasis).
As in healthy tissue, both blood and lymphatic vessels are present in the tumor, through which cells of the immune system move. The ability of cancer cells to spread through the body's vessels and form metastases has long been known. Researchers from the University of Heidelberg have studied the biological mechanisms that can prevent this dangerous process.
"We transplanted tumor tissue directly from one mouse to another without prior cell culture. In this model, the natural structure of the tissue was preserved, and cancerous tumors could form functional lymphatic vessels that were connected to the lymphatic system, which was a prerequisite for lymphogenic metastasis," explains the study's lead author Nicholas Gengenbacher.
The human lymphatic system. Figure from the summary of the article in Cancer Discovery on the World Today News website (New method to prevent metastasis formation – healing practice).
The researchers confirmed that cancer cells often migrate through the lymphatic vessels first to the nearest lymph nodes, and from there to vital organs. Surgical removal of the primary tumor allowed the researchers to simulate the real situation. In search of ways to prevent the development of metastases, scientists focused on lymphatic endothelial cells lining the vessels from the inside. They control many important vascular properties and produce numerous signaling molecules and growth factors. The researchers found that the angiopoietin-2 signaling protein ensures the survival of lymphatic endothelial cells in tumors. An antibody that blocks angiopoietin-2 causes the death of lymphatic vessels, which prevents the spread of cancer cells. As a result, fewer daughter tumors formed in distant organs, and the mice survived much longer.
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