Molecular biology of breast metastasis: Genetic regulation of human breast carcinoma metastasis
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* Corresponding author: Danny R Welch drw9@psu.edu
1 The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
2 National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
3 The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Breast Cancer Res 2000, 2:408-416 doi:10.1186/bcr87
Published: 21 July 2000Abstract
The present is an overview of recent data that describes the genetic underpinnings of the suppression of cancer metastasis. Despite the explosion of new information about the genetics of cancer, only six human genes have thus far been shown to suppress metastasis functionally. Not all have been shown to be functional in breast carcinoma. Several additional genes inhibit various steps of the metastatic cascade, but do not necessarily block metastasis when tested using in vivo assays. The implications of this are discussed. Two recently discovered metastasis suppressor genes block proliferation of tumor cells at a secondary site, offering a new target for therapeutic intervention.