Markers of endothelial dysfunction in early and advanced breast cancer dissemination

Abstract

Endothelium is a specialized lining of blood vessels, made up of a single layer of simple squamous cells that carry out transport and paracrine activities. The increasing number of studies suggest that endothelial cells play an indirect role in tumor growth and metastasis. Due to the fact that distant metastases are the main cause of death in breast cancer, markers of early neoplastic dissemination, undetectable by available imaging methods, are sought and that could justify the use of more aggressive neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, as well as might be a new potential therapeutic goals. Adhesins involved in the regulation of processes of differentiation, proliferation, migration and apoptosis raised interest among oncologists. Among a large group of recognized markers of endothelial dysfunction, mostly adhesins: E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were studied. Increase in the concentration of these adhesins occurs in patients with distant dissemination of breast cancer cells. Available research results indicate the potential prognostic significance of these markers.