Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Establishment of a Primary Culture of Patient-derived Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Published on: April 11, 2018
The Molecular Biology of Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
Julien Vibert1, Sarah Watson1,2
1INSERM U830, Équipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Diversity and Plasticity of Childhood Tumors Lab, Institut Curie Research Center, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Soft tissue sarcomas are malignant tumors of mesenchymal origin, encompassing a large spectrum of entities that were historically classified according to their histological characteristics. Over the last decades, molecular biology has allowed a better characterization of these tumors, leading to the incorporation of multiple molecular features in the latest classification of sarcomas as well as to molecularly-guided therapeutic strategies. This review discusses the main uses of molecular biology in current practice for the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue sarcomas, in addition to perspectives for this rapidly evolving field of research.
Related Concept Videos
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...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Metastasis
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...
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...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...

