Nature Cancer: How melanoma prepares lymph nodes for tumor spread

Melanoma cells release small cell envelopes that contain the protein nerve growth factor receptor, which primes nearby lymph nodes for tumor metastasis, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers

The findings, published Nov.

Traditionally, scientists have had a tumor-centric view of melanoma, where tumor cells shed as the cancer metastasizes and spread to nearby lymph nodes

Dr.

Dr.

Lymphatic endothelial cells' first encounter with fluid containing nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) and "opens the door for melanoma cells to enter and store in lymph nodes," said one of the paper's co-authors, Irina Mattai, PhD, assistant professor in pediatrics Immunology Research at Weill Cornell Medicine

In addition, NGFR increases the secretion of intracellular adhesion molecules that promote tumor cell binding to lymphatic vessels and also promote metastasis, Dr.

Dr.

Overall, while the lymph nodes are thought to be where the immune system is activated and primed to fight cancer cells, the processes outlined in the study suggest that immune function in the lymph nodes is compromised, which could have prognostic implications, says Dr.

When a person has melanoma, doctors examine the sentinel lymph nodes, or the first lymph nodes where the tumor may have spread, to see if it contains cancer cells

The research could also have implications for drug development

The researchers followed the results of the mouse model by studying lymph node tissue from 44 patients with stage III or IV melanoma and found that NGFR expression was significantly higher in metastatic lymph node tissue than in the original skin lesions

"Those patients with metastatic disease actually have very high NGFR expression," Dr.

The researchers aim to validate their findings in more patients