Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 May 11;12(6):425-36.
doi: 10.1038/nrc3265.

To differentiate or not--routes towards metastasis

Thomas Brabletz  1
Affiliations
Review

To differentiate or not--routes towards metastasis

Thomas Brabletz. Nat Rev Cancer. .

Abstract

Why are many metastases differentiated? Invading and disseminating carcinoma cells can undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is associated with a gain of stem cell-like behaviour. Therefore, EMT has been linked to the cancer stem cell concept. However, it is a matter of debate how subsequent mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) fits into the metastatic process and whether a MET is essential. In this Opinion article, I propose two principle types of metastatic progression: phenotypic plasticity involving transient EMT-MET processes and intrinsic genetic alterations keeping cells in an EMT and stemness state. This simplified classification integrates clinically relevant aspects of dormancy, metastatic tropism and therapy resistance, and implies perspectives on treatment strategies against metastasis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jul 26;108(30):12396-400 - PubMed
    1. Histopathology. 2005 Jul;47(1):17-24 - PubMed
    1. Oncogene. 2005 Nov 14;24(50):7443-54 - PubMed
    1. Nat Med. 2011 Aug 07;17(9):1101-8 - PubMed
    1. Int J Oncol. 2005 Jun;26(6):1541-7 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources