淋巴管生成的分子机制与恶性肿瘤的转移

长期以来一直认为淋巴管是恶性肿瘤转移的有效途径；但是，关于淋巴管内皮细胞的特异性标记物缺乏一致的资料，而且，恶性肿瘤内是否存在新生淋巴管也一直有争议。直到最近，发现了新的淋巴管内皮细胞标记物，在肿瘤的动物模型以及人类肿瘤中均发现了新生淋巴管，对于VEGF-C、D／VEGFR-3信号途径的深入了解，因此淋巴管生成在肿瘤转移中的相关研究得以深入进行。越来越多的研究资料表明，淋巴管生成同肿瘤的转移播散、肿瘤患者的预后等直接相关。现将淋巴管生成的分子机制以及其与肿瘤转移的相关研究进展综述。

Lymphangiogenesis:molecular mechanisms and role in malignant tumours metastasis

Lymphangiogenesis is the growth of newly formed lymphatic vessels and has long been regarded as a putative efficient pathway to neoplastic metastization.However,until recently consistent data regarding reliable lymphatic endothelial cell markers were lacking,moreover,the presence of new formed lymphatic vessels in malignant tumours was considered a largely disputable concept.Now,this scenario has changed significantly,the discovery of novel lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) markers,the demonstration of new formed lymphatic vessels within the bulk of the tumor in animal models and human neoplasms,and the characterization of the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 pathway,have promoted investigations into the role of lymphangiogenesis in tumour metastasis.More and more researches revealed that lymphangiogenesis was correlated with the spread and prognosis of malignant tumours.We herein review the major breakthroughs in the field of molecular mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis and its role in malignant tumours.