Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

An In Vitro System to Study Tumor Dormancy and the Switch to Metastatic Growth
Published on: August 11, 2011
A wake-up call for hibernating tumour cells
Abstract:
Disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) can adopt a state of long-term dormancy. However, when and why they emerge from quiescence has remained unclear. Distinct microvascular niches are now shown to regulate this process. Mature blood vessels produce signals that sustain tumour cell quiescence, whereas sprouting microvasculature provides stimuli that reactivate DTCs, leading to metastatic relapse.
More Related Videos
08:48An In Vitro Dormancy Model of Estrogen-sensitive Breast Cancer in the Bone Marrow: A Tool for Molecular Mechanism Studies and Hypothesis Generation
Published on: June 30, 2015
12:48A Time-lapse, Label-free, Quantitative Phase Imaging Study of Dormant and Active Human Cancer Cells
Published on: February 16, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Tumor Immunotherapy
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...