Chapter 3 • Metastases are responsible for more than 90% of all cancer-related deaths. • Gene mutations, the tumor microenvironment, and host cells drive the metastatic spread of tumor cells. • Metastasis can be subdivided into four steps: invasion, intravasation, survival in circulation, and extravasation. • Colonization of metastatic tumor cells requires the ability to proliferate in a foreign tissue and stimulate angiogenesis. • The formation of a premetastatic niche is essential for the growth of extravasating metastatic tumor cells. • Organ specificity of tumor metastases is determined both by blood flow and tissue-specific factors. • Primary tumors possess stem cells that can recapitulate the tumor from a single cell, and a subset of these cancer stem cells may inherently possess altered gene expression changes with increased metastatic potential.
The Cellular Microenvironment and Metastases
Summary of Key Points
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The Cellular Microenvironment and Metastases
