| Theme |
Molecular Medicine of Gastrointestinal Disorders : from Basics to Applications |
| Title |
Molecular Mechanisms of Hepato-gastrointestinal Cancer Metastasis |
| Author |
Shinji Tanaka |
Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Graduate School of Medicine |
| Author |
Shigeki Arii |
Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Graduate School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Metastasis of cancer cells is one of the major risk factors that decreases the clinical prognosis for cancer patients. Cancer cells acquire the ability to metastasize by evolving traits that allow them to overcome multiple barriers to dissemination. Metastatic cells undergo multiple changes in cell-cell adhesion, acquire anchorage independence, gain motility, migrate into and out of the circulatory system, and colonize distant organs through angiogenesis. The genetic basis of these highly complex steps producing this dynamic motility may be candidates for molecular targeted therapy for patents with metastatic cancer. Novel concepts, such as cancer stem cell hypotheses and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, may produce paradigm shifts in metastatic research. |