Journal des essais cliniques sur le cancer

Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition as a Potential Target for Antineoplastic Therapies

Abstract

Sushma R Rao and Aparna Jayachandran

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a multi-step reprograming process resulting in a phenotype switch from an epithelial to a mesenchymal state. This phenotype switching of cells, long been studied for its role in development, is now emerging as a crucial process that endows tumor cells with migratory and invasive properties, enriches stem cell-like attributes, enhances drug resistance, prevents apoptosis and contribute to immunosuppression. A comprehensive understanding of EMT cellular program will enable identification and development of potential EMT-targeted antitumor therapeutic strategies. This Editorial briefly describes recent evidence of EMT as a driver of malignancy and evaluates various strategies to target EMT in cancer.