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Metastatic tumor cells – genotypes and phenotypes

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Frontiers in Biology

Abstract

Background

Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in cancer patients. Therefore, elucidating the genetics and epigenetics of metastatic tumor cells and the mechanisms by which tumor cells acquire metastatic properties constitute significant challenges in cancer research.

Objective

To summarize the current understandings of the specific genotype and phenotype of the metastatic tumor cells.

Method and Result

In-depth genetic analysis of tumor cells, especially with advances in the next-generation sequencing, have revealed insights of the genotypes of metastatic tumor cells. Also, studies have shown that the cancer stem cell (CSC) and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotypes are associated with the metastatic cascade.

Conclusion

In this review, we will discuss recent advances in the field by focusing on the genomic instability and phenotypic dynamics of metastatic tumor cells.

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  1. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuberger Berman Lung Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Dingcheng Gao, Vivek Mittal, Yi Ban, Ana Rita Lourenco, Shira Yomtoubian & Sharrell Lee

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  1. Dingcheng Gao
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Gao, D., Mittal, V., Ban, Y. et al. Metastatic tumor cells – genotypes and phenotypes. Front. Biol. 13, 277–286 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11515-018-1513-3

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