title: Metastatic breast cancer cells in lymph nodes increase nodal collagen density.
abstract: The most life-threatening aspect of breast cancer is the occurrence of metastatic disease. The tumor draining lymph nodes typically are the first sites of metastasis in breast cancer. Collagen I fibers and the extracellular matrix have been implicated in breast cancer to form avenues for metastasis. In this study, we have investigated extracellular matrix molecules such as collagen I fibers in the lymph nodes of mice bearing orthotopic human breast cancer xenografts. The lymph nodes in mice with metastatic MDA-MB-231 and SUM159 tumor xenografts and tumor xenografts grown from circulating tumor cell lines displayed an increased collagen I density compared to mice with no tumor and mice with non-metastatic T-47D and MCF-7 tumor xenografts. These results suggest that cancer cells that have metastasized to the lymph nodes can modify the extracellular matrix components of these lymph nodes. Clinically, collagen density in the lymph nodes may be a good marker for identifying lymph nodes that have been invaded by breast cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Asif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizwan
authors.affiliation: 1] The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland [2] Department of Neuroscience, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Honors Program, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bulte
authors.affiliation: 1] The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland [2] Department of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anusha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalaichelvan
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Menglin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Balaji
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krishnamachary
authors.affiliation: 1] The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland [2] The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Zaver M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Bhujwalla
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: 1] The Johns Hopkins University In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center, Division of Cancer Imaging Research, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland [2] The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Glunde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D007633:Keratins; D003094:Collagen