Affiliations: Departments of Pathology, Cell Biology and Pharmacology/Toxicology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Center for Metabolic Bone Disease, Cell Adhesion and Matrix Research Center, and National Foundation for Cancer Research – Center for Metastasis Research, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA | National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Prof. Danny R. Welch, Department of Pathology, 1670 University Blvd. Volker Hall G-019, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0019, USA. Fax: +1 205 975 1126; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Metastasis is the most lethal attribute of cancer cells and clinical decisions regarding treatment are based largely upon the likelihood of developing metastases. However, improvements in detection as well as recent experimental data have raised questions about the most appropriate definition of a metastasis, especially whether the mere presence of cells at secondary sites constitute a metastatic lesion. After reviewing the experimental basis of metastasis, a definition of metastasis is proffered along with a proposal to consider regarding modification of staging parameters.
