EDITORIALS Lymphatic Regeneration: New Insights From VEGFR-3 Blockade

The lymphatic network is uniquely organized for the contin-uous removal of interstitial fluid and proteins, and for adsorption of dietary fat from the small intestine. Malfunction of the lym-phatic system leads to lymphoedema (1). Lymphatic vessels are a conduit for lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells, and importantly, for tumor cells that metastasize to distant sites through the lymphatic system. Recent progress in the field has come from the identification of molecules that characterize and regulate lymphatic vessel development and function (1,2). A critical advance came from the pioneering work by Alitalo and colleagues, who identified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, a member of VEGF growth factor family, as a specific lymphangiogenic growth factor that promotes lymphatic sprouting (1). VEGF-C is produced by a variety of human tumors, and deregulated expression of VEGF-C induces tumo