Lymphangiogenesis Correlates with Lymph Node Metastasis, Prognosis, and Angiogenic Phenotype in Human Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Our results reveal tumor lymphangiogenesis as a novel prognostic indicator for the risk of lymph node metastasis in NSCLC. Moreover, it also provides the first evidence that nonangiogenic NSCLCs mainly co-opt host tissue lymphatics during their growth, in contrast to most of the angiogenic tumors, which expand with concomitant lymphangiogenesis.