The lymphatic system serves as the primary route for the metastatic spread of breast cancer cells (BCCs). A scarcity of information exists with regard to the advection of BCCs in lymph flow and a fundamental understanding of the response of BCCs to the forces in the lymphatics needs to be established. This review summarizes the flow environment metastatic BCCs are exposed to in the lymphatics. Special attention is paid to the behavior of cells/particles in microflows in an attempt to elucidate the behavior of BCCs under lymph flow conditions (Reynolds number <1).
Keywords: breast cancer cells; cell migration; lymph vessels; lymphatic flow; microfluidic models; particle tracking.