The relationship between vasculogenic mimicry and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is a vascular-like structure which can mimic the embryonic vascular network pattern to nourish the tumour tissue. As a unique perfusion way, VM is correlated with tumour progression, invasion, metastasis and lower 5-year survival rate. Notably, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators and EMT-related transcription factors are highly up-regulated in VM-forming tumour cells, which demonstrated that EMT may play a crucial role in VM formation. Therefore, the up-regulation of EMT-associated adhesion molecules and other factors can also make a contribution in VM-forming process. Depending on these discoveries, VM and EMT can be utilized as therapeutic target strategies for anticancer therapy. The purpose of this article is to explore the advance research in the relationship of EMT and VM and their corresponding mechanisms in tumorigenesis effect.