title: Biology of cancer invasion and metastasis.
abstract: Current concepts of invasion eventually leading to metastasis are discussed and exemplified by cancers of the head and neck mucosa. Invasion occurs at a number of steps, each step making an ecosystem comprising not only the neoplastic cells but also their normal counterparts, a variety of host cells and the extracellular matrix. The ecosystem concept may explain aspects of metastasis such as site-dependence and organ-specificity of cancer metastasis as well as invasiveness of normal leucocytes. Genes implicated in invasion and metastasis are actively searched for. Recently, the epithelial cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin has been identified as an i- (invasion suppressor) gene product, i.e. a molecule the expression of which counterbalances i+ (invasion promotor) gene activity. Downregulation of E-cadherin in human head and neck cancers may account for their invasive and metastatic behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mareel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crombez
mesh_terms: D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010641:Phenotype