J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 99(7): 425-429, 1998

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Feature topic

INVOLVEMENT OF CYTOKINES IN INVASION AND METASTASIS OF COLON CANCER

Despite improvement in early diagnosis, surgical techniques, and general patient care, most deaths of cancer patients result from metastases. Recent studies have revealed that cytokines produced by cancer cells or by stromal cells play an important role into development the cancer metastasis. The formation of a cancer metastasis involves several major steps : 1) extensive vascularization ; 2) local invasion ; 3) adherence either to capillary endothelial cells or to subendothelial basement membrane ; 4) extravasation ; and 5) proliferation. In colon cancer, several cytokines such as growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, and angiogenic factors have been confirmed to be involved in each step of metastasis. This paper summarizes the involvement of cytokines in the development of invasion and metastasis in colon cancer.

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