title: Clinical implications of epithelial cell plasticity in cancer progression.
abstract: In the last few years, the role of epithelial cell plasticity in cancer biology research has gained increasing attention. This concept refers to the ability of the epithelial cells to dynamically switch between different phenotypic cellular states. This programme is particularly relevant during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer progression. During colonization, epithelial cells first activate the EMT programme to disseminate from a primary tumour to reach a distant tissue site. During this process, cells are transported into the circulation and are able to escape the immune system of the host. Then, a reverse process called mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) occurs on cells that settle in the distant organs. Although epithelial cell plasticity has an important impact on tumour biology, the clinical relevance of this concept remains to be recapitulated. In this review, we will update the current state of epithelial cell plasticity in cancer progression and its clinical implications for the design of therapeutic strategies, the acquisition of multidrug resistance, and future perspectives for the management of cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Oncología Médica, INIBIC, CHUAC, Sergas, UDC, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Aparicio
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación Traslacional del Cáncer, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), Sergas, Universidade da Coruña (UDC), As Xubias, 15006, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Moisés
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación Traslacional del Cáncer, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), Sergas, Universidade da Coruña (UDC), As Xubias, 15006, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castosa
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, INIBIC, CHUAC, Sergas, UDC, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Concha
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Oncología Médica, INIBIC, CHUAC, Sergas, UDC, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valladares
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Oncología Médica, INIBIC, CHUAC, Sergas, UDC, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación Traslacional del Cáncer, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), Sergas, Universidade da Coruña (UDC), As Xubias, 15006, A Coruña, Spain. Electronic address: angelica.figueroa.conde-valvis@sergas.es.
authors.forename: Angélica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Figueroa
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D051879:Twist-Related Protein 1 / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C082157:PRRX1 protein, human; C103173:TWIST1 protein, human; D051879:Twist-Related Protein 1
keywords: Cancer stem cells; Circulating tumour cells; Drug resistance; Epithelial plasticity; Medical perspective