Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions and circulating tumor cells

Arnaud Bonnomet, Anne Brysse, Anthony Tachsidis, Mark Waltham, Erik W. Thompson, Myriam Polette, Christine Gilles

Research output: Contribution to journalReview ArticleResearchpeer-review

195 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenomena endow epithelial cells with enhanced migratory and invasive potential, and as such, have been implicated in many physiological and pathological processes requiring cell migration/invasion. Although their involvement in the metastatic cascade is still a subject of debate, data are accumulating to demonstrate the existence of EMT phenotypes in primary human tumors, describe enhanced metastatic potential of EMT derivatives in animal models, and report EMT attributes in circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The relationships between EMT and CTCs remain largely unexplored, and we review here in vitro and in vivo data supporting a putative role of EMT processes in CTC generation and survival.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)261-273
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia
Volume15
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • CTC
  • EMT
  • Metastases

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