[Metastatic process and therapies]

Area of Science:

• Oncology and Cancer Biology
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Translational Medicine

Context:

• While tumor progression is increasingly understood at cellular and molecular levels, the intricate mechanisms driving cancer metastasis are not well elucidated.
• Significant knowledge gaps persist, hindering the development of effective therapeutic strategies against metastatic disease.
• There is a critical need for experimental animal models that accurately recapitulate human metastatic processes.

Purpose:

• To review the current understanding of tumor progression and metastasis.
• To highlight unresolved questions in metastatic mechanisms.
• To emphasize the necessity of advanced animal models and integrated research for discovering novel therapeutic targets.

Summary:

• This domain review synthesizes current knowledge on tumor progression, contrasting it with the poorly understood mechanisms of cancer metastasis.
• It identifies key unanswered questions crucial for advancing anti-metastatic therapies.
• The importance of developing and utilizing experimental animal models that mimic human metastatic disease is stressed, alongside the need for combined pathological and clinical research.

Impact:

• Advances the understanding of cancer metastasis, a critical factor in patient mortality.
• Identifies crucial areas for future research in oncology.
• Facilitates the discovery of new therapeutic targets and strategies to combat metastatic cancer.
• Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration between basic science, pathology, and clinical research.