An integrating concept of malignant progression in colorectal cancer

摘要

Invasion by colorectal carcinomas is characterized by an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like dedifferentiation of the tumour cells. However a differentiation towards an epithelial phenotype, resembling a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), is detectable in metastases. This indicates that malignant progression is based on dynamic processes, which cannot be explained solely by irreversible genetic alterations, but must be additionally regulated by the tumour environment.