Issue title: Metastasis
Guest editors: Lalage Wakefield and Kent Hunter
Article type: Research Article
Authors: Allan, Alison L.a; b; c; * | Vantyghem, Sharon A.a; b; d | Tuck, Alan B.a; b; d; e | Chambers, Ann F.a; b; d
Affiliations: [a] London Regional Cancer Program, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada | [b] Department of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada | [c] Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada | [d] Department of Pathology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada | [e] London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ont., Canada | National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Alison L. Allan, Ph.D., Oncology Scientist, London Regional Cancer Program, Assistant Professor, Departments of Oncology and Anatomy & Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 790 Commissioners Road East, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 4L6. Tel.: +1 519 685 8600 x55134; Fax: +1 519 685 8616; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Breast cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women, mainly due to the propensity of primary breast tumors to metastasize to regional and distant sites. Metastatic spread after the removal of a primary tumor can be difficult to identify, creating uncertainty in patients with regards to possible cancer recurrence. This is a particular problem in breast cancer, exemplified by the fact that recurrence can take place after decades of apparent disease-free survival. The mechanisms underlying tumor dormancy in breast cancer remain poorly understood, and this presents significant challenges to both experimental investigation and clinical management of breast cancer. This review will discuss what is currently known about the metastatic process and tumor dormancy, consider the growing evidence that cancer stem cells may contribute to tumor progression and dormancy, and speculate about the clinical importance and implications of this research.
Keywords: Breast cancer, metastasis, tumor dormancy, minimal residual disease, cancer stem cells
DOI: 10.3233/BD-2007-26108
Journal: Breast Disease, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 87-98, 2007
