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Organotropism of Breast Cancer Metastasis

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Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Breast cancer causes mortality by metastasizing to a variety of vital organs, such as bone, lung, brain and liver. Effective therapeutic intervention of this deadly process relies on a better mechanistic understanding of metastasis organotropism. Recent studies have confirmed earlier speculations that metastasis is a non-random process and is dependent on intricate tumor-stroma interactions at the target organ. Both the intrinsic properties of breast cancer cells and the host organ microenvironment are important in determining the efficiency of organ-specific metastasis. Advances in animal modeling, in vivo imaging and functional genomics have accelerated the discovery of important molecular mediators of organ-specific metastasis. A conceptual framework of breast cancer organotropism is emerging and will be instrumental in guiding future efforts in this exciting research field.

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Abbreviations

ADAMTS1:

a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif1

BBB:

blood brain barrier

BMP:

bone morphogenetic protein

BSP:

bone sialoprotein

CATK:

cathepsin K

CSC:

cancer stem cell

CTGF:

connective tissue growth factor

CXCR4:

CXC motif chemokine receptor 4

ECM:

extracellular matrix

FGF:

fibroblast growth factor

GM-CSF:

granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor

IGF:

insulin-like growth factor

IL:

interleukin

JNK:

Jun N-terminal kinase

MEC:

mammary epithelial cell

M-CSF:

macrophage colony-stimulating factor

MMP:

matrix metalloproteinase

NFκB:

nuclear factor kappa B

OPG:

osteoprotegerin

OPN:

osteopontin

PDGF:

platelet-derived growth factor

PlGF:

placental growth factor

PMN:

pre-metastasis niche

PTHrP:

parathyroid hormone-related protein

RANK:

receptor activator of NFκB

RANKL:

receptor activator of NFκB ligand

SDF1:

stromal derived factor 1

TGFβ:

transforming growth factor beta

TNFα:

tumor necrosis factor alpha

TRAP:

tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase

VCAM:

vascular cell adhesion molecule

VEGF:

vascular endothelial growth factor

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Acknowledgements

We thank members of our laboratory for the critical reading of this manuscript and apologize to those colleagues whose important work may not be cited directly and discussed here owing to space limitations. Research in our laboratory is supported by the American Cancer Society (RSG MGO-110765), Department of Defense (BC051647), Susan G. Komen Foundation (BCTR0503765), and the NJ Commission on Cancer Research (05-2408-CCR-E0).

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  1. Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA

    Xin Lu & Yibin Kang

  2. Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA

    Yibin Kang

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  1. Xin Lu
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Correspondence to Yibin Kang.

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Lu, X., Kang, Y. Organotropism of Breast Cancer Metastasis. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 12, 153–162 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-007-9047-3

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