Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Quantification of Tumor Cell Adhesion in Lymph Node Cryosections
Published on: February 9, 2020
Significance and mechanism of lymph node metastasis in cancer progression
Kenji Kawada1, Makoto M Taketo
1Department of Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Abstract:
The effect of local therapy, such as surgical lymph node (LN) dissection and radiotherapy, on the survival of cancer patients has been debated for decades. Several lines of recent clinical evidence support that LN metastasis plays significant roles in systemic dissemination of cancer cells, although the effects of surgical LN dissection on survival was downplayed historically because of controversial data. Molecular studies of LN metastasis suggest that the microenvironment within LNs, including chemokines and lymphangiogenesis, can mediate the metastatic spread to the sentinel LNs, and beyond. It has been shown that chemokine receptor CXCR3 is involved in LN metastasis, and its inhibition may improve patient prognosis. Although it remains to be determined whether local therapy is best pursued through LN dissection or through a combination of resection with radiation, prevention of regional metastases is an important goal in the treatment of cancer patients to achieve a better survival.
Related Concept Videos
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
