Early diagnosis of lymph node metastasis: Importance of intranodal pressures

• Published in: Cancer science Vol. 107; no. 3; pp. 224 - 232
• Main Authors: Miura, Yoshinobu, Mikada, Mamoru, Ouchi, Tomoki, Horie, Sachiko, Takeda, Kazu, Yamaki, Teppei, Sakamoto, Maya, Mori, Shiro, Kodama, Tetsuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2016; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Animals; Axilla; Bioluminescence; Biomedical research; Breast cancer; Cell Line, Tumor; Diagnosis; Early Detection of Cancer; Early diagnosis; EPR effect; Head & neck cancer; Histiocytosis; intranodal pressure; Liposomes; lymph node metastasis; Lymph nodes; Lymph Nodes - pathology; Lymph Nodes - physiopathology; Lymphatic Metastasis; lymphatic network; Lymphatic system; Melanoma, Experimental - diagnosis; Melanoma, Experimental - secondary; Metastases; Metastasis; Mice; mouse model of metastasis; Neoplasm Transplantation; Optical Imaging; Original; Polymerase chain reaction; Pressure; Pressure transducers; Sinus histiocytosis; Skin Neoplasms - diagnosis; Skin Neoplasms - pathology; Solid tumors; Tumor cells; Ultrasound; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Veins & arteries; Whole Body Imaging; Japan; Early diagnosis; lymphatic network; mouse model of metastasis; EPR effect; intranodal pressure; lymph node metastasis
• ISSN: 1347-9032; 1349-7006
• DOI: 10.1111/cas.12873

Regional lymph node status is an important prognostic indicator of tumor aggressiveness. However, early diagnosis of metastasis using intranodal pressure, at a stage when lymph node size has not changed significantly, has not been investigated. Here, we use an MXH10/Mo‐lpr/lpr mouse model of lymph node metastasis to show that intranodal pressure increases in both the subiliac lymph node and proper axillary lymph node, which are connected by lymphatic vessels, when tumor cells are injected into the subiliac lymph node to induce metastasis to the proper axillary lymph node. We found that intranodal pressure in the subiliac lymph node increased at the stage when metastasis was detected by in vivo bioluminescence, but when proper axillary lymph node volume (measured by high‐frequency ultrasound imaging) had not increased significantly. Intravenously injected liposomes, encapsulating indocyanine green, were detected in solid tumors by in vivo bioluminescence, but not in the proper axillary lymph node. Basic blood vessel and lymphatic channel structures were maintained in the proper axillary lymph node, although sinus histiocytosis was detected. These results show that intranodal pressure in the proper axillary lymph node increases at early stages when metastatic tumor cells have not fully proliferated. Intranodal pressure may be a useful parameter for facilitating early diagnosis of lymph node metastasis. Intranodal pressures in metastasized lymph nodes.