The Lymphatics: On the Route to Cancer Metastasis

Abstract

The blood vascular and lymphatic systems are necessary for the flux of gases, liquids, nutrients, signaling molecules, and cells among tissues and organs. These two highly branched, treelike networks are interconnected through the largest lymphatic vessel, the thoracic duct, which drains lymph, the protein-rich interstitial fluid, into the blood circulation. Both networks contribute to homeostasis of a healthy individual, and their malformation or dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as cancer [1]. The lethality of cancer is associated primarily with metastasis – that is, the spread of cancer cells from the primary site to lymph nodes and to distant organs [2]. ..