Further Insights Into the Mechanisms of Lymph Node Metastasis.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
- 2Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
- 3Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Sun City West, Arizona, USA.
- 4Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abstract
Metastasis of malignant tumors arising from epithelial organs to sentinel lymph nodes has important implications for prognosis, staging, and therapeutic decision-making. Recent insights into anatomic pathways, pathogenesis, molecular interactions, and genetic factors have encouraged scientists and clinicians to develop drugs that target mechanisms of lymph node metastasis. We summarize important aspects of the vast literature that pertains to these mechanisms, focusing on five phases that implicate invasion through the epithelial basement membrane and tumor microenvironment, into initial lymphatics, and, after flow through lymphatic trunks, into the sentinel lymph node. Valuable information regarding tumor cell-directed motility, lymphangiogenesis, host cells that enhance metastasis, immune responses to tumor antigens, and tumor-induced changes in sentinel lymph node(s) provides a promising avenue for the continued development of new therapeutic approaches to prevent and treat metastasis. This article reviews these aspects by synthesizing current scientific and clinical advances and translating them for medical professionals.
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BibTeX
@article{nathanson2026further,
title = {{Further Insights Into the Mechanisms of Lymph Node Metastasis.}},
author = {S David Nathanson and Meghan J O'Melia and Kelly C Rosso and Ian S Wood and Drishti Lall and Jenny T Bui},
journal = {Cancer medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/cam4.72404},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958629},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Further Insights Into the Mechanisms of Lymph Node Metastasis.
AU - S David Nathanson
AU - Meghan J O'Melia
AU - Kelly C Rosso
AU - Ian S Wood
AU - Drishti Lall
AU - Jenny T Bui
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Cancer medicine
DO - 10.1002/cam4.72404
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958629
AB - Metastasis of malignant tumors arising from epithelial organs to sentinel lymph nodes has important implications for prognosis, staging, and therapeutic decision-making. Recent insights into anatomic pathways, pathogenesis, molecular interactions, and genetic factors have encouraged scientists and clinicians to develop drugs that target mechanisms of lymph node metastasis. We summarize important aspects of the vast literature that pertains to these mechanisms, focusing on five phases that implicate invasion through the epithelial basement membrane and tumor microenvironment, into initial lymphatics, and, after flow through lymphatic trunks, into the sentinel lymph node. Valuable information regarding tumor cell-directed motility, lymphangiogenesis, host cells that enhance metastasis, immune responses to tumor antigens, and tumor-induced changes in sentinel lymph node(s) provides a promising avenue for the continued development of new therapeutic approaches to prevent and treat metastasis. This article reviews these aspects by synthesizing current scientific and clinical advances and translating them for medical professionals.
SN - 2045-7634
ER -