Mammary Gland Studies as Important Contributors to the Cause of Epithelial Mesenchymal Plasticity in Malignancy

Excerpt

Over the last few years, the field of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has rapidly expanded, both in developmental biology and in disease pathology (Fig. 1a). The growing literature suggests that this field may perhaps more appropriately be referred to as epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP), in light of the increased evidence for the reverse transition (MET), and for the ‘hybrid state’, in which cells express both epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Breast cancer research has always been well represented in the cancer EMT literature (Fig. 1b) and studies of EMT in normal mammary function that may relate to tumour biology are emerging and are adding to the total number of mammary-related EMT papers (Fig. 1c). This Special Issue entitled “EMT in Mammary Development and Breast Cancer Progression” captures much of the current themes in mammary biology and EMP, arranged somewhat chronologically.

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