Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Pancreatic Cancer: A Review

Figure 2

EMT during the metastatic process of pancreatic cancer. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or circulating pancreatic cells (CPCs) derived from primary tumor cells in pancreatic cancer undergo EMT and transition to hybrid phenotypes at the invasive front. CPC clusters colonize a distant site via the circulation, where, according to some studies, the cluster undergoes the reverse of EMT. EM: the hybrid phenotype; E: epithelial phenotype; CAF: cancer-associated fibroblast; TAM: tumor-associated macrophage.