title: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions and circulating tumor cells.
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.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor and Developmental Biology, Liège University, GIGA - Cancer, C.H.U. Sart-Tilman, Tour de Pathologie B23, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonnomet
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brysse
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tachsidis
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waltham
authors.forename: Erik W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polette
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilles
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D010641:Phenotype
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