F. Aoudjit et al., THE METASTATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MURINE LYMPHOMA CELL-LINES IN-VIVO ARE MANIFESTED AFTER TARGET ORGAN INVASION, Blood, 91(2), 1998, pp. 623-629
The ability of a tumor cell to survive is critical for successful diss
emination to sites distant from the primary tumor. Tumor cells must en
ter blood circulation, resist hemodynamic shear stress of the blood ci
rculation, successfully extravasate, and then migrate through dense ti
ssue stroma to a site favorable for tumor growth. Some tumor cells mus
t therefore be endowed with peculiar abilities to successfully metasta
size, whereas others, although capable of forming tumor in specific or
gans, cannot metastasize. This property has often been associated with
the homing ability of a given tumor cell, likely through the expressi
on of organ-specific homing receptors that are critical for the extrav
asation process. The present work was aimed at establishing the point
at which metastatic and nonmetastatic lymphoma cells diverge. Although
164T2 and 267T2 lymphoma cell lines can successfully form thymic lymp
homa when injected intrathymically, only the 164T2 clone can efficient
ly form tumor in kidneys, spleen, and liver after intravenous inoculat
ion. Using the Indium-labeling technique to monitor the homing kinetic
of both cell lines, we showed that the critical step for the successf
ul metastasis of the lymphoma cell was determined in the final steps o
f the disseminating process, namely after homing. These results indica
te that, whereas binding of tumor cells to vascular endothelium throug
h specific adhesion mechanisms is a prerequisite for dissemination of
tumor cells, the resistance of a tumor cell to the antagonist action o
f the host and/or its ability to grow tumor occurs only after homing t
o the target organ. (C) 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.