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Vasculogenic mimicry and tumor angiogenesis
R Folberg1, M J Hendrix, A J Maniotis
1Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. rfolberg@uic.edu
The American Journal of Pathology
|February 10, 2000
Summary
Aggressive melanoma cells can form their own blood vessels, a process called vasculogenic mimicry. This bypasses traditional angiogenesis and may require new cancer treatments and imaging techniques.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cancer Biology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Tumor growth and metastasis depend on a blood supply.
- Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones, is a key focus in cancer research.
- Alternative mechanisms for tumor vascularization may exist, particularly in aggressive cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism by which aggressive melanoma cells form vascular channels.
- To introduce and define the concept of "vasculogenic mimicry".
Main Methods:
- In vitro studies using highly aggressive and metastatic melanoma cells.
- Morphological and histological analysis of vascular channels.
- Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining to identify basement membrane components.
Main Results:
- Melanoma cells in vitro formed patterned vascular channels lacking endothelial cells and fibroblasts.
- These channels possessed a PAS-positive basement membrane, identical to those found in aggressive melanomas.
- This process, termed vasculogenic mimicry, is independent of angiogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Aggressive tumor cells can create their own microcirculation through vasculogenic mimicry.
- Standard methods targeting endothelial cells may be ineffective against tumors utilizing vasculogenic mimicry.
- Vasculogenic mimicry presents novel therapeutic targets and opportunities for noninvasive imaging of aggressive cancers.