Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Author Spotlight: Decoding Metastasis-to-Metastasis Seeding Using a New In Vivo Technique for Tracking Breast Cancer Spread
05:23

Author Spotlight: Decoding Metastasis-to-Metastasis Seeding Using a New In Vivo Technique for Tracking Breast Cancer Spread

Published on: July 7, 2023

1.7K

Metastasis as an evolutionary process

Samra Turajlic1, Charles Swanton2

  • 1The Francis Crick Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY2, UK. Renal and Skin Units, The Royal Marsden Hospital, London SW3 6JJ, UK.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 29, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Metastatic cancer remains largely incurable, but understanding its genetic evolution can reveal new therapeutic vulnerabilities. Comparative studies suggest major genetic changes, like chromosomal instability, drive the development of metastatic disease.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Metastatic disease is a major cause of cancer mortality, with limited effective treatments.
  • Metastatic subclones can arise throughout tumor progression, complicating treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review comparative studies of primary and metastatic tumors.
  • To understand the genetic evolution of metastatic disease.
  • To identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities in metastatic cancers.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomic analysis of primary and metastatic tumors.
  • Review of recent scientific literature on cancer evolution and metastasis.

Main Results:

  • Metastatic disease evolution involves distinct genetic changes compared to primary tumors.
  • Macroevolutionary shifts, including chromosomal instability, are implicated in metastasis.
  • Understanding temporal patterns and routes of metastatic colonization is crucial.

Conclusions:

  • Comparative studies offer insights into the biology of metastasis.
  • Identifying differences between primary and metastatic tumors can guide therapeutic development.
  • Overcoming challenges in studying metastatic evolution is key to improving patient outcomes.

More Related Videos

Generation of Organ-conditioned Media and Applications for Studying Organ-specific Influences on Breast Cancer Metastatic Behavior09:44

Generation of Organ-conditioned Media and Applications for Studying Organ-specific Influences on Breast Cancer Metastatic Behavior

Published on: June 13, 2016

8.9K
A Robust Discovery Platform for the Identification of Novel Mediators of Melanoma Metastasis07:41

A Robust Discovery Platform for the Identification of Novel Mediators of Melanoma Metastasis

Published on: March 8, 2022

3.0K

Related Concept Videos

Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
6.8K
Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

3.8K
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
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...
7.8K
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

3.5K
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell02:21

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
15.4K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
7.3K