The Influence of the Cancer Microenvironment on the Process of Metastasis
1Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA
2Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, 1660 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
3Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, 1660 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
The Influence of the Cancer Microenvironment on the Process of Metastasis
Description
Metastasis of breast cancer is a multistep process that requires cancer cells to invade stroma, gain access to vasculature, survive in the circulation, extravasate into the parenchyma of the secondary site, and survive and proliferate at the secondary site. During each of these steps, the microenvironment surrounding the cancer cells is an active participant. The cancer microenvironment varies during the metastatic process. At the primary tumor in the breast, invasive cancer cells are surrounded by fibroblasts, extracellular matrix, the vasculature, inflammatory/immune cells, and adipose tissue. Cancer cells are exposed to a different microenvironment within the circulatory system, including components of the blood and endothelial cells. The cancer microenvironment at the secondary site varies depending on the sites of metastasis. At each of these sites and during each of these processes, the microenvironment influences the behavior of the cancer cells and, in turn, the cancer cells alter the microenvironment, creating favorable conditions for advancing the metastatic process. A more thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the myriad tumor-microenvironment interactions that impact breast cancer metastasis will enhance our knowledge of the biology of metastasis and could ultimately reveal new molecular or cellular targets for the prevention or treatment of breast cancer metastasis.
We invite authors to submit original research and review articles related to the role of the microenvironment in the metastatic process of breast cancer. The papers may be relevant to basic, translational, or clinical research, including targeting the tumor microenvironment in the management of metastatic disease. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Cancer-stroma interactions at the primary site (the breast) that regulate cancer migration and invasion. The stroma includes any cellular components and molecular components of the microenvironment (hypoxia, pH, cytokines, etc.) of the breast cancer
- Cellular and molecular components of the blood and circulatory system that promote the metastatic process
- Cancer-stroma interactions at any secondary site that regulate cancer cell migration and invasion, survival, dormancy and proliferation, and growth of established metastases
- Cancer-stroma interactions as biomarkers for the prediction of metastasis or as targets for the treatment or prevention of metastases
Articles published in this special issue will not be subject to the journal's Article Processing Charges.
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijbc/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: