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Experimental Metastasis Assay
08:28

Experimental Metastasis Assay

Published on: August 24, 2010

Growth Factors and their receptors in cancer metastases

Shi Yu Yang1, Anur Miah, Amit Pabari

  • 1Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, UCL Medical School, University College London, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, UK. shiyu.yang@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Frontiers in Bioscience (Landmark Edition)
|January 4, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Metastatic cancers cause most cancer deaths. Growth factors and their receptors drive metastasis, from initial spread to new tumor growth, highlighting targets for new cancer treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Metastatic tumors, not primary ones, cause 90% of cancer fatalities.
  • Despite progress, effective preventive treatments for metastatic disease remain limited.
  • Growth factors and their receptors are increasingly implicated in the development of cancer metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of growth factors and their receptors in all stages of cancer metastasis.
  • To discuss the functions of these factors and receptors in metastatic processes.
  • To highlight research efforts aimed at developing novel anti-metastasis therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of laboratory and clinical studies.
  • Analysis of the origin and production of growth factors and receptors.
  • Examination of their involvement in epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, migration, circulation survival, seeding, and angiogenesis.

Main Results:

  • Growth factors and receptors are integral to cancer cell invasion, migration, and survival during circulation.
  • These factors are crucial for the seeding of cancer cells in distant organs and subsequent metastatic tumor angiogenesis.
  • Understanding their multifaceted roles provides a basis for therapeutic intervention.

Conclusions:

  • Growth factors and their receptors are critical mediators of the entire metastatic cascade.
  • Targeting these pathways represents a promising strategy for developing new treatments against metastatic cancer.
  • Further research into these mechanisms is essential for improving patient outcomes.

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