Moreover, VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling does not appear to be required forthe maintenance of lymphatic vessels beyond development, since prolonged inhibitionof VEGFR-3 signaling in animals impedes lymph node metastasis with no apparenteffects on preexisting, mature, lymphatic vessels in adjacent tissue [31,33-35]. Here, FLT4 is linked to metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.