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Review
. 2018;19(10):858-868.
doi: 10.1080/15384047.2018.1456599. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

Breast cancer lung metastasis: Molecular biology and therapeutic implications

Liting Jin  1 , Bingchen Han  2 , Emily Siegel  2 , Yukun Cui  3 , Armando Giuliano  2 , Xiaojiang Cui  2
Affiliations
Review

Breast cancer lung metastasis: Molecular biology and therapeutic implications

Liting Jin et al. Cancer Biol Ther. 2018.

Abstract

Distant metastasis accounts for the vast majority of deaths in patients with cancer. Breast cancer exhibits a distinct metastatic pattern commonly involving bone, liver, lung, and brain. Breast cancer can be divided into different subtypes based on gene expression profiles, and different breast cancer subtypes show preference to distinct organ sites of metastasis. Luminal breast tumors tend to metastasize to bone while basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) displays a lung tropism of metastasis. However, the mechanisms underlying this organ-specific pattern of metastasis still remain to be elucidated. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances regarding the molecular signaling pathways as well as the therapeutic strategies for treating breast cancer lung metastasis.

Keywords: Breast cancer; cancer stem cell; chemokine; lung metastasis; microenvironment.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Functions of signaling pathways in breast cancer. Signaling pathways play important roles in breast cancer development and lung metastasis.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Lung microenvironment. The communication between disseminated cancer cells and resident stromal cells plays a critical role in lung metastasis of breast cancer. Microenvironment components are involved, such as TAMs, CAFs, TGF-β.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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