What does tumor infiltration mean

Tumor is a common disease affecting people's health. There are two types of tumors: benign tumor and malignant tumor. Benign tumor has little effect on people's physical condition, but malignant tumor often causes constipation, which can affect people's life safety in severe cases. Tumor infiltration is a term used to describe the condition of a tumor. It mainly refers to the development of malignant tumors that lead to infiltration of various organs or tissue structures in the body. This is a relatively serious symptom, and sometimes even poses a great threat to people's lives.

Tumor infiltration: Malignant tumor cells often infiltrate surrounding tissues by direct infiltration, vascular penetration, lymphatic vessel penetration, and spread through the serosal and mucosal surfaces. The manifestations of infiltration of various tumors are often different, but once a tumor has infiltrated, it is called "invasive cancer", and cancer without infiltration is called "carcinoma in situ"

The mechanism of tumor infiltration is 1. Proliferation and movement of tumor cells. The proliferation and movement of tumor cells are conducive to their invasion and infiltration. The continuous proliferation of tumor cells is a prerequisite for tumor infiltration. Proliferation leads to increased pressure inside the tumor tissue, causing the cells to tend to expand to the surrounding areas.

2. The separation of tumor cells and the loss of cell contact inhibition The separation tendency of malignant tumor cells is closely related to the changes in cell membrane structure, the loss of contact inhibition and the decrease in adhesion.

3. The role of tumor cell products and other related components Tumor cells can produce a variety of degrading enzymes, including plasmin, cathepsin B, hyaluronidase, type IV collagenase, etc., to decompose the matrix and fibers. Some metabolites of tumor cells, such as peptides and lactic acid, can also dissolve the basement membrane of small blood vessels.

4. The effect of the stroma on tumor infiltration In addition to the products of tumor cells themselves, the various components of the matrix also have a certain effect on the infiltration of tumor cells.

Infiltration and metastasis are both characteristics of malignant tumor growth. They are different interrelated pathological processes. Infiltration is the prelude to metastasis, but it does not mean that metastasis will definitely occur. However, metastasis must include an infiltration process. Together, they constitute the dissemination of malignant tumors.

The harmfulness of tumors lies not only in damaging primary tissues and organs, but also in their ability to metastasize and spread to nearby or distant organs and tissues, causing more serious damage. So, why do tumors metastasize? (1) Because tumor cells grow and proliferate rapidly and local cell density increases, they have a strong ability to squeeze adjacent tissues and can easily infiltrate adjacent tissues; (2) Because the calcium content in the cell membrane of malignant tumors decreases, the cell-cell binding force decreases, making it easy for cells to fall off, creating conditions for the infiltration or spread of tumor cells; (3) Tumor cells can also release some diffusion factors, such as hyaluronidase, which can dissolve mucopolysaccharides in the matrix, facilitating tumor infiltration and metastasis; (4) Whether metastasis can occur. It is also related to the degree of differentiation of tumor cells. Generally speaking, the lower the degree of differentiation of tumor cells and the more obvious the invasiveness, the more likely it is to metastasize. (5) Tumors are prone to metastasize to organs with rich blood supply, such as bone marrow, liver, lungs, brain, etc. (6) In addition to the characteristics of the tumor itself, the occurrence of metastasis is also related to the state of the patient's body. The patient's general condition is poor, that is, those with low immune function can increase the chance of tumor metastasis. (7) In addition, mechanical stimulation such as muscle contraction, visceral peristalsis, massage, and squeezing at the tumor site can promote tumor spread and metastasis. However, the causes and mechanisms of tumor metastasis are far from as simple as described above, and some tumors tend to metastasize. Some are not like this. Some organs and tissues are easily metastasized, while others are rarely metastasized.