Cancer cell: using inflammation to invade the host.
BACKGROUND
Inflammation is increasingly recognized as an important component of tumorigenesis, although the mechanisms involved are not fully characterized. The invasive capacity of cancers is reflected in the classic metastatic cascade: tumor (T), node (N) and metastasis (M). However, this staging system for cancer would also have a tumoral biological significance.


OBJECTIVE
To integrate the mechanisms that control the inflammatory response in the actual staging system of cancer. It is considered that in both processes of inflammation and cancer, three successive phenotypes are presented that represent the expression of trophic functional systems of increasing metabolic complexity for using oxygen.


METHODS
While a malignant tumor develops it express phenotypes that also share the inflammatory response such as: an ischemic phenotype (anoxic-hypoxic), a leukocytic phenotype with anaerobic glycolysis and migration, and an angiogenic phenotype with hyperactivity of glycolytic enzymes, tumor proliferation and metastasis, and cachexia of the host. The increasing metabolic complexity of the tumor cell to use oxygen allows for it to be released, migrate and proliferate, thus creating structures of growing complexity.


CONCLUSIONS
One aim of cancer gene therapy could be the induction of oxidative phosphorylation, the last metabolic step required by inflammation in order to differentiate the tissue that it produces.
Arias
José-Ignacio
JI
General Surgery Unit, Monte Naranco Hospital, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. joseignacio.arias@sespa.princast.es
Aller
María-Angeles
MA
Arias
Jaime
J
D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype
D010100:Oxygen