Cancer metastasis: Issues and challenges

Qian，Chao Nan1; Mei，Yan1; Zhang，Jian2,3,4

2017

E-cadherin EMT JAM2 Metastasis PPARGC1A SIK2 TRAF6

English

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.

10.1186/s40880-017-0206-7

Chinese Journal of Cancer

36

1

SCI

Others

2-s2.0-85020597576

Scopus

WOS:000398527800001

1944-446X

1.State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China,Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine,Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center,Guangzhou,510060,China
2.Center for Translational Medicine,Guangxi Medical University,and Key Laboratory of Longevity and Aging-related Diseases,Ministry of Education,Nanning,530021,China
3.Department of Biology,Southern University of Science and Technology School of Medicine,Shenzhen,518055,China
4.Department of Urology,University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,Pittsburgh,15232,United States

Qian，Chao Nan,Mei，Yan,Zhang，Jian. Cancer metastasis: Issues and challenges. 2017-01-01.