The Fate of Circulating Tumor Cells I. Passage of Cells through Capillaries

Abstract

Experiments were done to study the behavior of circulating tumor cells as they engage the lumen of capillaries. The transplantable V2carcinoma and Brown-Pearce carcinoma were used in domestic rabbits. Suspensions of cells were injected into the mesenteric artery while, simultaneously, microcinematic studies were made in the region of the arterio-capillary junctions of the mesentery. The majority of the cells from each tumor passed through the capillaries into the venous circulation. Cells of the V2carcinoma were arrested more frequently than those of the Brown-Pearce carcinoma. It is concluded that tumor cells can distort to fit the narrow capillary tube and so pass through the capillary circulation into the veins. An occasional cell appears too rigid to fit into the capillary tube and is thus arrested. The incidence of permanent cell arrest varies with the type of tumor used. © 1961, American Association for Cancer Research. All rights reserved.