The Basic Biology of Metastasis

Abstract

It is the ability to metastasize that makes cancer a fatal disease. Of the 555,500 cancer-related deaths expected this year in the United States, the vast majority are due to the development of metastatic disease rather than the primary tumor (Jemal et al., 2002). Although treatment is available for patients with metastatic cancer, options are limited and responses can be quite variable. Furthermore, complete remissions tend to be limited in both scope and duration.