The Roles of Tumor Endothelial Cells in Cancer Metastasis
Main Article Content
ABSTRACT
Tumor metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related deaths. Tumor metastasis is orchestrated by a complex network of biological events. One such event is the formation of new blood vessels, termed as tumor angiogenesis. Tumor angiogenesis is essential for tumor progression. Without tumor angiogenesis, most solid tumors remain dormant. Apart from supplying tumors with nutrients and oxygen, tumor blood vessels provide a route for metastasis. Endothelial cells are key players in the formation of neovessels. Tumor endothelial cells that line tumor blood vessels differ from normal endothelial cells in many aspects. Tumor endothelial cells are irregular monolayers, have a higher expression of proangiogenic factors, and impaired endothelial barrier function when compared with their normal counterparts. The basement membrane thickness of tumor blood vessels is uneven and the association between pericytes and tumor endothelial cells is weak, leading to vascular leakiness. In this chapter, we highlight the role of endothelial cells in the initial steps of tumor metastasis.
Downloads
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright of individual chapters belongs to the respective authors. The authors grant unrestricted publishing and distribution rights to the publisher. The electronic versions of the chapters are published under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Users are allowed to share and adapt the chapters for any non-commercial purposes as long as the authors and the publisher are explicitly identified and properly acknowledged as the original source. The books in their entirety are subject to copyright by the publisher. The reproduction, modification, republication and display of the books in their entirety, in any form, by anyone, for commercial purposes are strictly prohibited without the written consent of the publisher.