G. Riethmuller et Ca. Klein, Early cancer cell dissemination and late metastatic relapse: clinical reflections and biological approaches to the dormancy problem in patients, SEM CANC B, 11(4), 2001, pp. 307-311
Two clinical entities, unknown-primary cancer and inadvertent transmission
of cancer with organ transplants are reviewed and discussed in the context
of early and occult tumor cell dissemination. Both entities are taken as ch
ief witnesses for cell dissemination being an early event in tumor progress
ion. The involuntary transmission of tumor by organ grafts directly support
s the notion that very few quiescent cells lodging at improbable sites such
as kidney or heart suffice to generate de novo metastatic disease in the o
rgan recipient. As to the nature of the cells and their biological and clin
ical significance a short review is given on the detection of disseminated
cells in bone marrow and their prognostic significance for a metastatic rel
apse in patients with resected primary tumors. A novel single-cell genomic
analysis is described, that allows the detection of multiple chromosomal ab
erration in single tumor cells.