Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
All together, the clinical and experimental data indicate that endothelial adhesion
molecules are important players in cancer progression.
Acknowledgement
Supported in part by grants from NIH (CA108856, NS45888 and AR053718)
to PCL, and training grants from NCI to HK (T32-CA093240) and KCB
(T32CA009582).
SUMMARY POINTS
• Cancer progression includes many steps that involve endothelial cell
adhesion molecules.
• Tumor cells secrete factors that increase levels of endothelial cell adhesion
molecules, allowing leukocytes to adhere and ini ltrate the tumor.
• Tumor cells express adhesion molecules similar to leukocytes and therefore
may use a similar mechanism for adhesion and extravasation.
• E-selectin and P-selectin levels correlate with cancer progression in
patients, especially the soluble forms.
• h e most studied ligands for selectins with regard to cancer contain the
sialyl Lewis determinants, sLe
a
or sLe
x
, which are detected at increased
levels in cancer patients.
• Blocking selectin interactions has been shown to reduce tumor cell
adhesion and subsequent metastasis.
• h e soluble forms of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 are detected at increased levels
in cancer patients.
• Location of metastatic sites is likely inl uenced by specii c tissue expression
of endothelial cell adhesion molecules.
Abbreviations
CEA
carcinoembryonic antigen
CXCR4
chemokine (CXC motif ) receptor 4
EGF
epidermal growth factor
ICAM
intercellular adhesion molecule
Ig
immunoglobulin
IL-1β
interleukin 1 beta
PECAM
platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule
PSGL-1
P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1
