Breast Cancer Metastasis: Advances Through the Use of In Vitro Co-Culture Model Systems

Abstract

Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequent cancer diagnosed in women and is the second-most leading cause of cancer related deaths in women (Jemal, Bray et al. 2011). Death from breast cancer is most often the result of the spread of the primary tumour to distant sites, where the cancer cells lodge and develop into metastases. Depending on the site of the metastasis, the patient may live for years with reduced quality of life and needing increased health care resources. There is clearly a need for a greater understanding of the molecular events involved in breast cancer metastasis in order to improve treatment options for breast cancer patients and develop therapies aimed at preventing breast cancer metastasis. Here we will summarize what is known about the molecular basis of breast cancer metastasis and discuss the use of in vivo and primarily in vitro model systems to study it.