Lymphangiogenesis: From passive disseminator to dynamic metastatic enabler

Abstract

The lymphatic vasculature drains fluid and cells from tissues and channels them to the lymph nodes, where they encounter immune cells, constituting a critical component of immune function and tissue fluid homeostasis. It has been hypothesized that the formation of new lymphatics (lymphangiogenesis) in tumors can facilitate cancer cell transport to the lymph node, whose permissive microenvironment would favor their survival before disseminating to other organs. However, lymphatic vessels found inside tumors are generally not functional and surgical resection of sentinel lymph nodes does not improve melanoma patient's outcome (Morton et al., 2014), questioning the direct involvement of lymphangiogenesis in metastasis.

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