Collagen - A Necessary Accomplice in the Metastatic Process

Cancer Genomics - Proteomics

COLLIN M. STULTZ¹  PAUL S. NERENBERG¹  RAMON SALSAS-ESCAT¹ 

[1] Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A. Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A. Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A.

关键词: Collagen;    cancer;    MMPs;    metastasis;    collagenolysis;    review;   

DOI  :  

来源: Delinasios GJ CO

【 摘 要 】

The prognosis for cancer patients with metastatic disease remains poor. For cancer to metastasize from a primary tumor to distinct sites in the body, both the extracellular matrix and basement membrane - physiological barriers whose primary structural constituent is collagen - must be degraded to allow the passage of tumor cells. Collagen has long been assumed to be a passive background upon which the biochemical events of metastasis take place, but recent experimental developments instead point to a novel active role for collagen in the immune response to metastasis. Along with a new hypothesis for the mechanism of collagen degradation, these data suggest innovative approaches to prevent the spread of cancer from the primary tumor site.

【 授权许可】

Unknown