Breast Cancer Res. 2011 Aug 16;13(4):111. doi: 10.1186/bcr2911.
The metastatic process is a multistep coordinated event with a high degree of efficiency. Specific subpopulations of cancer stem cells, with tumor-initiating and migratory capacity, can selectively migrate towards sites that are able to promote survival and/or proliferation of metastatic tumor cells through a microenvironment modification. Cross-talk between the bone microenvironment and cancer cells can facilitate bone tropism of cancer cells. Fully understanding this complexity represents a major challenge in anti-cancer research and a mandatory step towards the development of new drugs potentially able not only to reduce the consequences of bone lesions but also to target the metastatic process in visceral sites.
转移过程是一个具有高度效率的多步骤协调事件。具有肿瘤起始和迁移能力的特定癌症干细胞亚群可以选择性地迁移到能够通过微环境修饰促进转移瘤细胞存活和/或增殖的部位。骨微环境与癌细胞之间的串扰可以促进癌细胞的骨趋向性。充分理解这种复杂性是癌症研究的主要挑战,也是开发新药物的必要步骤,这些新药物不仅有可能减轻骨损伤的后果,而且有可能针对内脏部位的转移过程。