Fusion of tumour cells with bone marrow-derived cells: a unifying explanation for metastasis.
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 18385683.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/nrc2371.
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Abstract
The causes of metastasis remain elusive despite vast information on cancer cells. We posit that cancer cell fusion with macrophages or other migratory bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) provides an explanation. BMDC-tumour hybrids have been detected in numerous animal models and recently in human cancer. Molecular studies indicate that gene expression in such hybrids reflects a metastatic phenotype. Should BMDC-tumour fusion be found to underlie invasion and metastasis in human cancer, new approaches for therapy would surely follow.
Medical subject headings
- Bone Marrow Cells
- Macrophages
- Neoplasm Metastasis
- Neoplastic Stem Cells