Migration/invasion of malignant gliomas and implications for therapeutic treatment

Abstract

Malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are among cancers with thepoorest prognosis, indicated by their association with tumors of high-level morbidity and mortality. Gliomas, the most common primary CNS tumors that arise from neuroglial stem or progenitorcells, have estimated annual incidence of 6. 6 per 100, 000 individuals in the USA, and 3. 5 per100, 000 individuals in Taiwan. Tumor invasion and metastasis are the major contributors to thedeaths in cancer patients. Therapeutic goals including cancer stem cells (CSC), phenotypic shifts, EZH2/AXL/TGF-β axis activation, miRNAs and exosomes are relevant to GBM metastasis to developnovel targeted therapeutics for GBM and other brain cancers. Herein, we highlight tumor metastasisin our understanding of gliomas, and illustrate novel exosome therapeutic approaches in glioma, thereby paving the way towards innovative therapies in neuro-oncology.