Title |
Cancer metastasis: issues and challenges
|
---|---|
Published in |
Cancer Communications, April 2017
|
DOI | 10.1186/s40880-017-0206-7 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Chao-Nan Qian, Yan Mei, Jian Zhang |
Abstract |
Metastasis is the major cause of treatment failure in cancer patients and of cancer-related deaths. This editorial discusses how cancer metastasis may be better perceived and controlled. Based on big-data analyses, a collection of 150 important pro-metastatic genes was studied. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets to re-analyze the effect of some previously reported metastatic genes-e.g., JAM2, PPARGC1A, SIK2, and TRAF6-on overall survival of patients with renal and liver cancers, we found that these genes are actually protective factors for patients with cancer. The role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in single-cell metastasis has been well-documented. However, in metastasis caused by cancer cell clusters, EMT may not be necessary. A novel role of epithelial marker E-cadherin, as a sensitizer for chemoresistant prostate cancer cells by inhibiting Notch signaling, has been found. This editorial also discusses the obstacles for developing anti-metastatic drugs, including the lack of high-throughput technologies for identifying metastasis inhibitors, less application of animal models in the pre-clinical evaluation of the leading compounds, and the need for adjustments in clinical trial design to better reflect the anti-metastatic efficacy of new drugs. We are confident that by developing more effective high-throughput technologies to identify metastasis inhibitors, we can better predict, prevent, and treat cancer metastasis. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 173 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 33 | 19% |
Student > Master | 23 | 13% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 21 | 12% |
Researcher | 13 | 8% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 10 | 6% |
Other | 6 | 3% |
Unknown | 67 | 39% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 44 | 25% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 13 | 8% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 9 | 5% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 9 | 5% |
Engineering | 8 | 5% |
Other | 22 | 13% |
Unknown | 68 | 39% |