The pattern and incidence of lymphatic spread of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is differentiated according to location, size and histologic type of primary tumors. As the primary tumor size increases, the incidence of lymphatic metastasis increases. Ogata et al reported the incidence of mediastinal lymphatic metastasis increased from 24% for tumors under 2 cm in size to more than 40% for t...

BACKGROUND The use of lymphatic vessel density as a predictor of occult lymph node metastasis (OLNM) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has never been reported. METHODS Staining of the specific lymphatic endothelial cells nuclear marker, PROX1, as an indicator of lymphatic vessel density was determined by counting the number of positive cells in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) o...

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. The outcome of patients with metastatic cervical cancer is poor. We reviewed the relevant literature concerning the treatment and diagnosis of metastatic cervical cancer. There are two types of metastasis related to different treatments and survival rates: hematogenous metastasis and lymphatic metastasis. Patients with hemato...

Tumor metastasis to sentinel lymph nodes represents the first step of tumor dissemination in most human cancers and serves as a major prognostic indicator for disease progression. Recent studies have revealed that tumors can actively induce the formation of lymphatic vessels, and that tumor lymphangiogenesis is correlated with lymph node metastasis in experimental cancer models and in several t...

Lymphangiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor C (VEGF-C) in tumors have been considered to be causally promoting lymphatic metastasis. There are only a few studies on lymphatic metastasis in immunocompetent allograft mouse models. To study the relationship between VEGF-C-mediated lymphangiogenesis and axillary lymph node metastasis, we used two mouse mammary ca...

To identify specific circulating microRNAs that were associated with the lymphatic metastasis in lung cancer, we performed miRNA microarray analysis of lymph node with and without metastasis from five lung cancer patients. Top six differentially expressed miRNAs were selected for further validation. A training cohort of 26 patients with lung cancer was firstly recruited and the selected miRNAs ...

Tumor metastasis and its impact on the organism are the main causes of death in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. The presence of metastasis at the time of diagnosis represents a negative prognostic parameter of overall survival and correlates with a 50 % mean reduction of life expectancy, independent of tumor size. The potential for metastasis depends on factor...

PURPOSE Lymphatic invasion and nodal metastasis plays a major role in the spread of cervical cancer; however, little is known about the mechanisms whereby tumor cells enter the lymphatic system. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We examined the intra- and peritumoral lymphatic vessel density (LVD) using D2-40 immunohistochemistry in 111 cervical squamous cell carcinomas and correlated them with vascular en...

BACKGROUND Loco-regional spread of disease causes high morbidity and is associated with the poor prognosis of malignant oral tumors. Better understanding of mechanisms underlying the establishment of lymph node metastasis is necessary for the development of more effective therapies for patients with oral cancer. The aims of this work were to evaluate a possible correlation between endothelial c...

PURPOSE Nodal metastasis is the main prognostic factor in the patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We investigated the association between tumor-associated lymphatics and OSCC characteristics. METHODS Thirty-four specimens were used for the immunohistochemical staining with the antibody for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, VEGF-D, VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-3, phosphoryla...