Cancer cells typically undergo several steps to intravasate into lymphatic vessels. Firstly, they need to detach from the primary tumor mass. This involves changes in cell adhesion molecules, such as reduced expression of E-cadherin, which normally helps cells stick together. Once detached, cancer cells migrate towards lymphatic vessels guided by chemotactic signals such as VEGF-C and VEGF-D, which bind to receptors on lymphatic endothelial cells.
