Evidence that the process of murine melanoma metastasis is sequential and selective and contains stochastic elements.

Malignant neoplasms are heterogeneous for many different biological characteristics, including invasion and metastasis. The pathogenesis of metastasis involves a series of sequential steps which must be completed by metastatic cells. In the present study we examined the metastatic behavior of three highly metastatic and three nonmetastatic subpopulations isolated from the K-1735 melanoma syngeneic to the C3H/HeN mouse. Cells were labeled with [125I]iodo-2'-deoxyuridine, and their initial organ distribution, fate, and production of experimental metastases were determined. Highly metastatic cells survived in lung parenchyma to produce metastases, whereas nonmetastatic cells did not. However, even with the highly metastatic cells only 2% of the original inoculum was responsible for the final production of metastases. The results support the concept that the fate of tumor cells released into the bloodstream is determined by sequential and selective events and introduces a third regulatory factor. Cells endowed with metastatic properties have a higher probability of forming metastases than cells not so endowed, but this probability is not 100%. Hence, metastasis should be considered as a sequential, selective, and stochastic process.