Cancer Genome Evolutionary Trajectories in Metastasis

Abstract

Metastatic cancer is a major cause of death and remains largely incurable. A better understanding of metastasis is therefore desperately needed to improve prognosis for late-stage disease. Here we survey the landscape of studies exploring the genomics of metastatic cancer. We consider evidence for genomic drivers of metastasis and explore studies investigating modes of metastatic spread.

Keywords: cancer drivers; cancer evolution; cancer genomics; clonal heterogeneity; evolutionary trajectories; immune escape; metastasis; metastatic drivers; monoclonal dissemination; polyclonal dissemination.