title: Alterations of high endothelial venules in primary and metastatic tumors are correlated with lymph node metastasis of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: High endothelial venules (HEVs) are special blood vessels in the paracortical region of lymph nodes (LNs) and govern lymphocyte recruitment. LN metastasis has similarity to circulating lymphocytes homing to LNs, but the role of HEVs in the progression of oral and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is unclear. In this study, we found that HEVs experienced a series of morphological and functional changes during OPSCC progression and were correlated with LN metastasis. In 9 cases of 73 metastatic LNs, tumor emboli were located adjacent to HEVs or just out of the vessels but not lymphatic channels. Gap junctions of tumor cells close to HEVs decreased or disappeared, and gaps were left at contact points where tumor cells attached to the HEVs. Moreover, the proliferation rate of endothelial cells of HEVs was the highest in metastatic LNs. Finally, L-selectin was detected in both primary and metastatic tumors, and it facilitated tumor cells adhering to LNs. In conclusion, our findings suggest that remodeled HEVs are correlated with LN metastasis of OPSCC and play important role in this process by preparing premetastatic soil for cancer cell metastasis.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology; School and Hospital of Stomatology; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology; School and Hospital of Stomatology; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Han-Zhong
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China; First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology; School and Hospital of Stomatology; Wuhan University; Wuhan, PR China.
authors.forename: Zheng-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Shang
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014699:Venules / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D019041:L-Selectin
keywords: L-selectin; high endothelial venules; lymph nodes; metastasis; oral and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma