Inflammatory breast cancer: vasculogenic mimicry and its hemodynamics of an inflammatory breast cancer xenograft model.

Kazuo Shirakawa,Hiro Wakasugi,Hisataka Kobayashi,Daijo Hashimoto,Atsushi Shimizu,Jun Sobajima

doi:10.1186/bcr585

Kazuo Shirakawa, Hiro Wakasugi + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/bcr585

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Abstract

We recently established a new human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) xenograft (WIBC-9) originating from a patient with IBC. The original tumor and WIBC-9 revealed invasive ductal carcinoma with a hypervascular structure of solid nests and marked lymphatic permeation in the overlying dermis. In the central part of the solid nests, vasculogenic mimicry, which showed an absence of endothelial cells, was observed. Comparison of WIBC-9 with an established non-IBC xenograft (MC-5), using time-course dynamic micro-magnetic resonance angiography analysis (with a newly developed intravascular macromolecular contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging) demonstrated that the WIBC-9 tumor had blood flow and a vascular mimicry-angiogenesis junction.

Highlights

Growth, proliferation, and metastasis of breast cancer, and of most other tumors, have been thought to be angiogenesis-dependent processes [1]
In the center of the solid nests, the tumor exhibited a lack of endothelial formation but without central necrosis (Fig. 1C,D)
The features of erythema in the overlying skin, marked lymphatic permeation and high rate of metastasis are commonly seen in both WIBC-9 and human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)

Summary

Introduction

Proliferation, and metastasis of breast cancer, and of most other tumors, have been thought to be angiogenesis-dependent processes [1]. A non-angiogenesis-dependent pathway, in which tumors can feed themselves using alternative pathways, has been reported [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. We and others described the presence of vasculogenic mimicry (VM, a condition in which tumors [inflammatory breast cancer {IBC} and melanoma] feed themselves using alternative pathways without the participation of endothelial cells [ECs]) in the tumor-bearing state. The unique patterns characteristic of VM and its hemodynamics provide a framework for the design of non-invasive imaging techniques for detecting IBC and its metastases

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