Citation

Walter ND, Rice PL, Redente EF, Kauvar EF, Lemond L, Aly T, Wanebo K, Chan ED. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2011; 44(5): 591-596.

Affiliation

Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado, United States; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Thoracic Society)

DOI

10.1165/rcmb.2010-0187RT

PMID

21177982

Abstract

Inflammatory oncotaxis, where mechanically injured tissues are predisposed to cancer metastases, has been reported for a number of tumor types but not previously for lung cancer. We review clinical and experimental evidence, mechanisms that may underlie inflammatory oncotaxis, and provide illustrative examples of two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung who developed distant, localized metastatic disease at sites of recent physical trauma. Trauma may predispose to metastasis through two distinct but not mutually exclusive mechanisms: 1) physical trauma induces tissue damage and local inflammation, creating a favorable environment that is permissive for seeding of metastatic cells from distant sites and/or 2) micro-metastatic foci are already present at the time of physical injury and trauma initiates changes in the micro-environment that stimulate the proliferation of the metastatic cells.

Language: en