Here Is Information On Cancer Metastasis Research

By Arthur Cook


Metastasis as a term derives from a Greek term, which means change of place in the English language. In cancer metastasis research, tumor metastasis is known as the process through which tumor cells move from their original cancer site to other places within the body. The complexity of the process is high and it is only partially understood in modern research. The full understanding of the process is yet to be established by research at biochemical and molecular levels.

Most cancers can be treated adequately using radiation therapy and surgery. These two treatment options can be used to destroy or remove the primary tumor with great success. However, it is the spreading of cancer cells to secondary locations within the body that contribute to morbidity and mortality in most patients. Is metastasis can be stopped, then it would be much easier to treat the disease.

Scientists often make a comparison of the process of metastasis to marathon. Upon the development of malignant tissues, they begin to infest solid tissues around them. Body tissues contain a variety of cells and are very complex. For instance, body tissues have fibroblasts. These cells offer lymphatic drainage, support, and immune cells. They give a barrier that must be infiltrated by tumor cells. Malignant cells adapt to the presence of this barrier by developing the ability to move.

Malignant cell movement is not a strange event. Cells crawl, as opposed to floating out of the tissue. They achieve this by fundamentally acting in response to environmental factors. They stretch their finger-like projections that enable their forward movement. For them to move, they must change their capacity to stick to other body cells and protein matrix in the body.

Metastasis as indicated by research is very inefficient. Only 0.01 percent of the tumor cells that get into the blood stream finally metastasize. However, it is still impossible for researchers to establish when and if the tumor cells become metastatic. When being treated, cancer evaluation involves its ability to metastasize.

Thus, treatment that a patient receives is altered according to the ability of the cancer they have to metastasize. Cancers that are in an advanced stage usually have a higher chance of metastasizing than those in their early stages. As a result, advanced cancers are usually treated more aggressively in comparison to those that are in their early stages. Cancerous cells usually metastasize through two major highways, that is, the bloodstream and the lymphatic vessels.

The lymphatic drainage is usually the preferred escape route for most tumor cells. This is the reason why a doctor performs a biopsy of the lymphatic node for determining whether the spread of cancerous cells has occurred. From there, they can get into the bloodstream. Cancerous cells can also enter the bloodstream from the blood vessels that are in the primary tumor besides the lymphatic vessels.

Many malignant cells die upon getting into the blood stream since the environment inside the vessels is harsh. This is because it has blood flowing fast and has immune cells. The malignant cells are deposited in a number of organs where they begin developing into tumors.




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