The importance of developing therapies targeting the biological spectrum of metastatic disease.

TitleThe importance of developing therapies targeting the biological spectrum of metastatic disease.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsZijlstra, A, Von Lersner, A, Yu, D, Borrello, L, Oudin, M, Kang, Y, Sahai, E, Fingleton, B, Stein, U, Cox, TR, Price, JT, Kato, Y, Welm, AL, Aguirre-Ghiso, JA
Corporate Authors
JournalClin Exp Metastasis
Volume36
Issue4
Pagination305-309
Date Published2019 Aug
ISSN1573-7276
KeywordsAnimals, Drug Development, Humans, Neoplasm Metastasis
Abstract

<p>Great progress has been made in cancer therapeutics. However, metastasis remains the predominant cause of death from cancer. Importantly, metastasis can manifest many years after initial treatment of the primary cancer. This is because cancer cells can remain dormant before forming symptomatic metastasis. An important question is whether metastasis research should focus on the early treatment of metastases, before they are clinically evident ("overt"), or on developing treatments to stop overt metastasis (stage IV cancer). In this commentary we want to clarify why it is important that all avenues of treatment for stage IV patients are developed. Indeed, future treatments are expected to go beyond the mere shrinkage of overt metastases and will include strategies that prevent disseminated tumor cells from emerging from dormancy.</p>

DOI10.1007/s10585-019-09972-3
Alternate JournalClin Exp Metastasis
PubMed ID31102066
PubMed Central IDPMC8794535
Grant ListR01 CA109182 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
R01 CA218024 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States