The hematogenous metastasis of cancer consists of a multistep process. It is surmised that a number of interactions between cancer and endothelial cells occur, with cell adhesion molecules playing certain roles in this process. The authors conducted an investigation on the interaction between human cancer cells and cultured murine endothelial cells (F-2 cells) in vitro, and on its relationship with the metastatic activity of cancer cells in vivo. A correlation was found between the degree of expression of carbohydrate antigens on the cell surface and adhesion of cancer cells to F-2 cells. Five of 13 examined cell lines showed liver metastasis after inoculation to the spleen of nude mice. These cell lines showed not only a strong binding activity to F-2 cells but implantation in F-2 cells in vitro was also observed. These findings suggest that adhesion to, and implantation in endothelial cells are necessary for the induction of distant metastasis. Treatment with antibodies against carbohydrate antigens inhibited the formation of liver metastasis in nude mice. It is possible that strategies to interfere with the function of cell adhesion molecules may be formulated to result in the decreased distant metastasis of cancer.

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