Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Personalized Medicine in Ovarian Cancer
Published on: February 23, 2024
Osteopontin as a Link between Inflammation and Cancer: The Thorax in the Spotlight
Anne-Sophie Lamort1, Ioanna Giopanou2, Ioannis Psallidas3
1Comprehensive Pneumology Center and Institute for Lung Biology and Disease, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich and Helmholtz Center Munich, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Max-Lebsche-Platz 31, 81377 Munich, Bavaria, Germany. anne-sophie.lamort@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
Abstract:
The glycoprotein osteopontin (OPN) possesses multiple functions in health and disease. To this end, osteopontin has beneficial roles in wound healing, bone homeostasis, and extracellular matrix (ECM) function. On the contrary, osteopontin can be deleterious for the human body during disease. Indeed, osteopontin is a cardinal mediator of tumor-associated inflammation and facilitates metastasis. The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of osteopontin in malignant processes, focusing on lung and pleural tumors as examples.
Related Concept Videos
Muscles of the Thorax
The diaphragm is at the core of thoracic musculature, the primary muscle involved in breathing. This expansive, dome-shaped muscle marks the division between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. It...
Veins of Thorax
The azygos vein, positioned just right of the midline and anterior to the vertebral column, begins at the junction of the right ascending lumbar and subcostal veins, terminating in the superior vena cava. This vein drains blood from the right side of the thoracic wall, thoracic viscera, and posterior abdominal wall.
The...
Inflammation
Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....
X-linked Traits
Sex-linked Disorders

