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Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Studying the Role of Alveolar Macrophages in Breast Cancer Metastasis
Published on: June 26, 2016
Characteristics of pre-metastatic niche: the landscape of molecular and cellular pathways
Hao Wang1, Junjie Pan1, Livnat Barsky2
1Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital & Cancer Metastasis Institute & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, 12 Urumqi Road (M), Shanghai, 200040, China.
Abstract:
Metastasis is a major contributor to cancer-associated deaths. It involves complex interactions between primary tumorigenic sites and future metastatic sites. Accumulation studies have revealed that tumour metastasis is not a disorderly spontaneous incident but the climax of a series of sequential and dynamic events including the development of a pre-metastatic niche (PMN) suitable for a subpopulation of tumour cells to colonize and develop into metastases. A deep understanding of the formation, characteristics and function of the PMN is required for developing new therapeutic strategies to treat tumour patients. It is rapidly becoming evident that therapies targeting PMN may be successful in averting tumour metastasis at an early stage. This review highlights the key components and main characteristics of the PMN and describes potential therapeutic strategies, providing a promising foundation for future studies.
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