Department of Anatomic Pathology, Hospital Universitari General de Catalunya-Grupo Quironsalud, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Sant Cugat del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain.
Department of Dermatology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2020 Apr 30;21(6):47. doi: 10.1007/s11864-020-00735-x.
The capacity of cells to modify their phenotypes from epithelial to mesenchymal (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT) and vice versa provides them with a dynamic plasticity essential for human life, from embryogenesis to wound healing. Current knowledge about carcinogenetic mechanisms leaves little doubts on the pivotal participation of these interchangeable processes in cancer development, and their influence has been quite clearly established in the progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. A complex and ordered interplay of signals induces the shift between both phenotypes, providing cells with the most suitable state at every moment to face the next step in tumor invasion and dissemination. Some stimulatory triggers have opposite effects according to the biological context and in many cases exert collateral functions. This scenario makes finding an ideal therapeutic target difficult but provides the opportunity to intervene simultaneously at many different levels with small actions such as targeting the tumor environment. In any case, advances in knowledge of the EMT mechanisms and their influence on carcinogenesis and drug resistance will greatly influence the therapeutic strategies for many human tumors, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
细胞从上皮细胞向间充质（上皮-间充质转化或 EMT）改变其表型的能力，反之亦然，为人类生命提供了从胚胎发生到伤口愈合所必需的动态可塑性。目前关于致癌机制的知识几乎毫无疑问地表明，这些可互换过程在癌症发展中起着关键作用，并且它们的影响在皮肤鳞状细胞癌的进展中得到了非常明确的证实。信号的复杂和有序相互作用诱导两种表型之间的转变，为细胞在面对肿瘤侵袭和扩散的下一步提供了在任何时刻最适合的状态。一些刺激触发因素根据生物背景具有相反的作用，并且在许多情况下发挥附带功能。这种情况使得很难找到理想的治疗靶点，但提供了机会，可以通过靶向肿瘤环境等小的动作同时在许多不同的水平进行干预。无论如何，EMT 机制及其对致癌作用和耐药性的影响的知识进展将极大地影响包括皮肤鳞状细胞癌在内的许多人类肿瘤的治疗策略。
