Abstract
The metastatic process is highly inefficient--very few of the many
cells that migrate from the primary tumour successfully colonize
distant sites. One proposed mechanism to explain this inefficiency
is provided by the cancer stem cell model, which hypothesizes that
micrometastases can only be established by tumour stem cells, which
are few in number. However, recent in vitro and in vivo observations
indicate that apoptosis is an important process regulating metastasis.
Here we stress that the inhibition of cell death, apart from its
extensively described function in primary tumour development, is
a crucial characteristic of metastatic cancer cells.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).