Breast cancer invasion and metastasis

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among western women, and 10-15% of all breast cancer patients develop and ultimately succumb to metastatic disease. In breast cancer, malignant cells disseminate through lymphatic or hematogenous routes to distant organs. Over the last decades, the 5-year survival of breast cancer has increased due to early screening and advanced local and systemic treatments. Understanding the fundamental biology underlying the progression of breast cancer has fostered the identification and development of therapeutics. In this chapter, we discuss the morphologic and molecular heterogeneity of breast cancer and the relationship between breast cancer subtype and metastatic potential. Moreover, we detail different in vitro assays which provide simple and robust systems to study basic cellular processes that are critical to orchestrating metastatic progression of breast cancer. Lastly, we address the strengths and shortcomings of different in vivo models that allow integrated analysis of heterotypic signaling and tissue architecture in breast cancer progression.