Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis
Metastasis to the central nervous system (CNS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic cancer. As the length of survival in patients with systemic cancer improves, thanks to multimodality therapies, focusing on metastases to the CNS becomes of paramount importance....
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2014-05-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/15/6/9519 |
| _version_ | 1811232996047454208 |
|---|---|
| author | Konstantina A. Svokos Bodour Salhia Steven A. Toms |
| author_facet | Konstantina A. Svokos Bodour Salhia Steven A. Toms |
| author_sort | Konstantina A. Svokos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Metastasis to the central nervous system (CNS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic cancer. As the length of survival in patients with systemic cancer improves, thanks to multimodality therapies, focusing on metastases to the CNS becomes of paramount importance. Unique interactions between the brain’s micro-environment, blood-brain barrier, and tumor cells are hypothesized to promote distinct molecular features in CNS metastases that may require tailored therapeutic approaches. This review will focus on the pathophysiology, epigenetics, and immunobiology of brain metastases in order to understand the metastatic cascade. Cancer cells escape the primary tumor, intravasate into blood vessels, survive the hematogenous dissemination to the CNS, arrest in brain capillaries, extravasate, proliferate, and develop angiogenic abilities to establish metastases. Molecular biology, genetics, and epigenetics are rapidly expanding, enabling us to advance our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms involved. Research approaches using cell lines that preferentially metastasize in vivo to the brain and in vitro tissue-based studies unfold new molecular leads into the disease. It is important to identify and understand the molecular pathways of the metastatic cascade in order to target the investigation and development of more effective therapies and research directions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T11:14:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d979ea65aaa64a5397158bd8b56c7bbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T11:14:01Z |
| publishDate | 2014-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-d979ea65aaa64a5397158bd8b56c7bbb2022-12-22T03:35:33ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1422-00672014-05-011569519953010.3390/ijms15069519ijms15069519Molecular Biology of Brain MetastasisKonstantina A. Svokos0Bodour Salhia1Steven A. Toms2Department of Neurosurgery, Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Ave. Office of Graduate Medical Education, Philadelphia, PA 19131, USATranslational Genomics Research Institute, 445 North Fifth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, Geisinger Health System, 100 North Academy Ave., Danville, PA 17822, USAMetastasis to the central nervous system (CNS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic cancer. As the length of survival in patients with systemic cancer improves, thanks to multimodality therapies, focusing on metastases to the CNS becomes of paramount importance. Unique interactions between the brain’s micro-environment, blood-brain barrier, and tumor cells are hypothesized to promote distinct molecular features in CNS metastases that may require tailored therapeutic approaches. This review will focus on the pathophysiology, epigenetics, and immunobiology of brain metastases in order to understand the metastatic cascade. Cancer cells escape the primary tumor, intravasate into blood vessels, survive the hematogenous dissemination to the CNS, arrest in brain capillaries, extravasate, proliferate, and develop angiogenic abilities to establish metastases. Molecular biology, genetics, and epigenetics are rapidly expanding, enabling us to advance our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms involved. Research approaches using cell lines that preferentially metastasize in vivo to the brain and in vitro tissue-based studies unfold new molecular leads into the disease. It is important to identify and understand the molecular pathways of the metastatic cascade in order to target the investigation and development of more effective therapies and research directions.http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/15/6/9519epigeneticstumor immunologyanimal modelssignal transduction |
| spellingShingle | Konstantina A. Svokos Bodour Salhia Steven A. Toms Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis International Journal of Molecular Sciences epigenetics tumor immunology animal models signal transduction |
| title | Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis |
| title_full | Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis |
| title_short | Molecular Biology of Brain Metastasis |
| title_sort | molecular biology of brain metastasis |
| topic | epigenetics tumor immunology animal models signal transduction |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/15/6/9519 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT konstantinaasvokos molecularbiologyofbrainmetastasis AT bodoursalhia molecularbiologyofbrainmetastasis AT stevenatoms molecularbiologyofbrainmetastasis |