Tumor metastasis: Mechanistic insights and therapeutic interventions

Abstract

Cancer metastasis is responsible for the vast majority of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. In contrast to numerous discoveries that reveal the detailed mechanisms leading to the formation of the primary tumor, the biological underpinnings of the metastatic disease remain poorly understood. Cancer metastasis is a complex process in which cancer cells escape from the primary tumor, settle, and grow at other parts of the body. Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and anoikis resistance of tumor cells are the main forces to promote metastasis, and multiple components in the tumor microenvironment and their complicated crosstalk with cancer cells are closely involved in distant metastasis. In addition to the three cornerstones of tumor treatment, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, novel treatment approaches including targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been established in patients with metastatic cancer. Although the cancer survival rate has been greatly improved over the years, it is still far from satisfactory. In this review, we provided an overview of the metastasis process, summarized the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the dissemination and distant metastasis of cancer cells, and reviewed the important advances in interventions for cancer metastasis.

A minimalist and robust chemo-photothermal nanoplatform capable of augmenting autophagy-modulated immune response against breast cancer

“…Metastasis is considered as one of the primary reasons leading to a worse survival rate in breast cancer patients [ 51 , 52 ]. The lung and liver are generally accepted as the primary target sites of breast cancer metastasis [ 53 ].…”

Tumor specificity of WNT ligands and receptors reveals universal squamous cell carcinoma oncogenes

“…Given WNT7B is typically involved in canonical WNT signaling, we then investigate whether this invasion capability was attributed to canonical signaling downstream genes. According to the probable WNT target genes ( http://web.stanford.edu/group/nusselab/cgi-bin/WNT/target_genes ), we chose CDH1 (cadherin1) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as candidates because they show a high correlation with tumor invasion and metastasis [ 21 , 22 ]. We compared the mRNA abundance of all WNT downstream MMP members and CDH1 in normal, OLP, and cancer tissues using our previous data (GSE70666) [ 14 ].…”

CHRNA5 Contributes to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Regulating YAP Activity

“…Tumor invasion and metastasis are challenges in the clinical treatment of HCC. EMT is regarded as a critical step in tumor invasion and metastasis [36]. A previous study suggested that CHRNA5 could regulate the migration and invasion ability of melanoma cells [23].…”