对癌细胞生长的众多检测方法中有没有一种直观的，将其状态实时呈现在眼前的方法呢？有。据一项在动物中进行的新的研究报告显示，用外科方法植入的一小块玻璃窗可让研究人员对肝脏、脾脏、肾脏和小肠中的肿瘤发展进行实时的观察。
这项技术显示，转移性癌细胞要比以往认为的更具活力。Laila Ritsma及其同事将玻璃窗植入小鼠的腹壁，使得人们能够直接看到小鼠的内脏。
文章的作者接着对被称作转移物的小型、扩散的肿瘤进行了数小时的成像并发现转移物内的个体细胞正在移动。第二天，他们计数发现每一转移物中的细胞数都有了增加。人们假设，细胞运动只在肿瘤转移的早期是重要的，那时肿瘤细胞会从主要的肿瘤部位逸出并迁徙到诸如肝脏等其它的身体部位。
这一研究表明，细胞运动会放大已经生成的肿瘤的生长及增强其进一步的扩散。腹壁成像视窗可能对测试针对防止肿瘤转移的治疗方法有用（目前这种方法的设计并非用于人体）。
Intravital Microscopy Through an Abdominal Imaging Window Reveals a Pre-Micrometastasis Stage During Liver Metastasis.
Laila Ritsma, Ernst J. A. Steller, Evelyne Beerling, Cindy J. M. Loomans, Anoek Zomer, Carmen Gerlach, Nienke Vrisekoop, Daniëlle Seinstra, Leon van Gurp, Ronny Schäfer, Daniëlle A. Raats, Anko de Graaff, Ton N. Schumacher, Eelco J. P. de Koning, Inne H. Borel Rinkes, Onno Kranenburg, and Jacco van Rheenen
Abstract：Cell dynamics in subcutaneous and breast tumors can be studied through conventional imaging windows with intravital microscopy. By contrast, visualization of the formation of metastasis has been hampered by the lack of long-term imaging windows for metastasis-prone organs, such as the liver. We developed an abdominal imaging window (AIW) to visualize distinct biological processes in the spleen, kidney, small intestine, pancreas, and liver. The AIW can be used to visualize processes for up to 1 month, as we demonstrate with islet cell transplantation. Furthermore, we have used the AIW to image the single steps of metastasis formation in the liver over the course of 14 days. We observed that single extravasated tumor cells proliferated to form “pre-micrometastases,” in which cells lacked contact with neighboring tumor cells and were active and motile within the confined region of the growing clone.
