Figures & data
Figure 1 Schematic representation of the metastatic cascade steps in breast tumors. Cells in the primary tumor undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), acquiring migratory and invasive properties. After leaving the primary tumor, cells enter into circulatory or lymphatic vessels until extravasation to a distant metastatic secondary site represented in the scheme by a bone. Once established at the secondary site, cells suffer an inverse EMT process called mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). The drawing has no anatomical proportions.
Figure 2 Metastasis cascade and the currently explored targets and their inhibitors. Data from Wojtukiewicz et al,Citation60 Marcucci et al,Citation94 Raab-Westphal et al,Citation95 Rosel et al,Citation96 and Sini et al.Citation97 Bevacizumab and antiplatelets compounds are commercially available, while drugs targeting EMT and migration are in clinical trials (clinicaltrials.gov). Anti-invasion drugs, known as migrastatics, are under experimental investigations.
Table 1 Breast cancer drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration*