Wilson I. B. Onuigbo
Colonization patterns in cancer have long been fascinating. As far back as 1879, a striking example was reported as “Case of unilateral cancer.” A century later by 1975, Ariel reported a patient with exclusively right-sided pigmented cancer. Fortunately, chance, led me to do research under Professor D. F. Cappell at the University Department of Pathology based at the Glasgow Western Infirmary. The first fruit was my 1957 final year publication on the topographical analysis of 1000 cases of lung cancer autopsies; this appeared in the British Journal of Cancer. In turn, this led my Professor to draw glowing attention to it in a famous Textbook in 1958. Fortunately, my work blossomed, on account of fruitful safaris to the other Scottish Medical Schools. Thereafter, many publications on lymph-borne colonization patterns appeared. On the basis of them, let me conclude that the predictable orderliness of lymph-borne metastasis is indicative of the workings of an underlying intrinsic directional Factor. In sum, it may fittingly be named the “Lymphogenous Metastasis Selectivity Factor” (LMSF). Hence, it is hypothesized that its verification and identification could conduce to target therapy following breakthroughs in translational laboratories.
