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The importance of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer

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Abstract

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex series of cellular reprogramming events that culminates in the loss of epithelial characteristics and the de novo acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype. During embryonic development, EMT imparts the plasticity and migratory capabilities that enable the extensive cell movements underlying gastrulation and organogenesis. In breast cancer, aberrant activation of EMT is associated with the highly aggressive basal-like, metaplastic, and claudin-low tumor subtypes and confers increased cell survival, stem-like properties, and migratory and invasive capabilities, thus promoting cancer cell dissemination and metastasis. As the EMT program is primarily enlisted during early embryonic development, and as EMT orchestrators are mostly dormant in normal adult tissues, targeting EMT drivers may have minimal side effects. Therefore, a better understanding of EMT at the molecular level is likely to yield new insight into the mechanisms of breast cancer progression, enable earlier detection of metastases, and ultimately suggest new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Pathology, Unit 951, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2SCR4.2030, 7435 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, 77054, USA

    Sendurai A. Mani

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  1. Nathalie Sphyris
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  2. Sendurai A. Mani
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Correspondence to Sendurai A. Mani.

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Sphyris, N., Mani, S.A. The importance of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 1, 229–237 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-009-0032-2

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