Research Illuminates How Melanoma Readies Lymph Nodes for Tumor Spread; Tumor-Secreted Exosomes Carry Nerve Growth Factor Receptor (NGFR) to Lymph Nodes, Priming the Nodes for Tumor Metastasis

Melanoma cells release small extracellular packages (exosomes) containing the protein nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), which primes nearby lymph nodes for tumor metastases, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The study results, published on November 25, 2022 in Nature Cancer, may one day help doctors determine which patients need more aggressive treatment and could help with the development of new therapies, said senior author, David Lyden, MD, PhD, the Stavros S. Niarchos Professor in Pediatric Cardiology and a Professor of Pediatrics and of Cell and Developmental Biology at Weill Cornell Medicine. The article is titled “Melanoma-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Induce Lymphangiogenesis and Metastasis Through an NGFR-Dependent Mechanism.”