Monday, 7 January 2019

Useful And Essential Facts About Cancer Metastasis Research

By Arthur Cook


Metastasis is a Greek word that translates to change of place in the English language. In cancer metastasis research, tumor metastasis refers to the process of movement of tumor cells from original site of the cancer to other parts within the body. This process is fairly complex and according to modern research, it is only partially understood. Research at molecular and biochemical levels has yet to come up with a complete understanding of this process.

Surgery and radiation therapy can be used to adequately treat most cancers. The two treatment choices can either be used to remove or destroy the primary tumor successfully. However, what is contributing to mortality and morbidity in most cancer patients is the spread of tumor cells to secondary locations in the body. It would be very simple for the treatment of the disease to be done if only metastasis can be stopped from happening.

Researchers normally liken tumor metastatic process to a marathon. Firstly, once tumors develop, they invade the body tissues that are around the primary site. Body tissues are normally complex and consist of a number of different cells. For example, they have fibroblasts whose function is to provide solid support, lymphatic drainage, and immune cells. The fibroblasts offer a barrier which must be traversed by tumor cells. To do this, tumor cells adapt and develop the capability to move.

The movement of tumor cells does not happen in a strange way. The cells do not float out of a tissue. Instead, they crawl. They do this by basically reacting to factors within their environment. They extend finger-like extensions of their cell that allow them to move forward. To be able to move forward, they have to alter their ability to adhere to other cells in the body and the protein matrix.

Studies hold that the metastasis process is largely inefficient. Only 0.01 percent of malignant cells that make their way into the blood stream result in metastasis. Nevertheless, scientists still lack the capacity to tell if and when malignant cells will end up being metastatic. At the time of treatment, cancer evaluations are normally founded on the capacity of the cells to get metastatic.

Therefore, the ability of a cancer to metastasize determines the treatment a patient gets. The more advanced the cancer is, the higher the chances of metastasizing. As a result, there is more aggressiveness involved in treating advanced cancers than that involved in treating those in an early stage. There are two main streams that cancerous cells can metastasize in, which are, the lymphatic vessels and the bloodstream.

Most cancer cells usually prefer escaping through the lymphatic drainage system. That is why a doctor will usually take a biopsy of the lymphatic nodes to determine if cancerous cells have spread. From the lymphatic vessels, the cells can then enter the bloodstream. Besides entering the bloodstream from lymphatic vessels, cancerous cells can also enter the blood stream directly from blood vessels in the primary tumor.

Most tumor cells die when they enter the bloodstream as it is a very harsh environment. This is because it has immune cells and blood flows at a high speed. However, some end up in different organs where they grow into tumors.




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