"Interactions and invasiveness of melanomatous human tumor cells within the blood brain barrier endothelium".

Brain metastases occur in about 25% of patients who die of cancer.One of the most common sources of brain metastases in adults is cutaneous melanoma.The malignant potential of melanomatous cell and its adhesion to the cerebral endothelium plays a key role in this process.The aim of this study was to better characterize the interactions between melanoma cells and the cerebral endothelium, in an attempt to mimick, in some way, melanomatous cells crossing through the BBB and the subsequent spread throghout the cerebral parenchyma.