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Bukkuri A, Pienta KJ, Hockett I, Austin RH, Hammarlund EU, Amend SR, Brown JS. Modeling cancer's ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Med Oncol 2023; 40:109. [PMID: 36853375 PMCID: PMC9974726 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-01968-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
In this didactic paper, we present a theoretical modeling framework, called the G-function, that integrates both the ecology and evolution of cancer to understand oncogenesis. The G-function has been used in evolutionary ecology, but has not been widely applied to problems in cancer. Here, we build the G-function framework from fundamental Darwinian principles and discuss how cancer can be seen through the lens of ecology, evolution, and game theory. We begin with a simple model of cancer growth and add on components of cancer cell competition and drug resistance. To aid in exploration of eco-evolutionary modeling with this approach, we also present a user-friendly software tool. By the end of this paper, we hope that readers will be able to construct basic G function models and grasp the usefulness of the framework to understand the games cancer plays in a biologically mechanistic fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuraag Bukkuri
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program and Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, USA.
- Tissue Development and Evolution Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Kenneth J Pienta
- The Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Ian Hockett
- The Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | | | - Emma U Hammarlund
- Tissue Development and Evolution Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sarah R Amend
- The Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Joel S Brown
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program and Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, USA
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Evo-devo perspectives on cancer. Essays Biochem 2022; 66:797-815. [PMID: 36250956 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The integration of evolutionary and developmental approaches into the field of evolutionary developmental biology has opened new areas of inquiry- from understanding the evolution of development and its underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms to addressing the role of development in evolution. For the last several decades, the terms 'evolution' and 'development' have been increasingly linked to cancer, in many different frameworks and contexts. This mini-review, as part of a special issue on Evolutionary Developmental Biology, discusses the main areas in cancer research that have been addressed through the lenses of both evolutionary and developmental biology, though not always fully or explicitly integrated in an evo-devo framework. First, it briefly introduces the current views on carcinogenesis that invoke evolutionary and/or developmental perspectives. Then, it discusses the main mechanisms proposed to have specifically evolved to suppress cancer during the evolution of multicellularity. Lastly, it considers whether the evolution of multicellularity and development was shaped by the threat of cancer (a cancer-evo-devo perspective), and/or whether the evolution of developmental programs and life history traits can shape cancer resistance/risk in various lineages (an evo-devo-cancer perspective). A proper evolutionary developmental framework for cancer, both as a disease and in terms of its natural history (in the context of the evolution of multicellularity and development as well as life history traits), could bridge the currently disparate evolutionary and developmental perspectives and uncover aspects that will provide new insights for cancer prevention and treatment.
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Ibrahim AM. The conditional defector strategies can violate the most crucial supporting mechanisms of cooperation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15157. [PMID: 36071078 PMCID: PMC9449918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18797-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation is essential for all domains of life. Yet, ironically, it is intrinsically vulnerable to exploitation by cheats. Hence, an explanatory necessity spurs many evolutionary biologists to search for mechanisms that could support cooperation. In general, cooperation can emerge and be maintained when cooperators are sufficiently interacting with themselves. This communication provides a kind of assortment and reciprocity. The most crucial and common mechanisms to achieve that task are kin selection, spatial structure, and enforcement (punishment). Here, we used agent-based simulation models to investigate these pivotal mechanisms against conditional defector strategies. We concluded that the latter could easily violate the former and take over the population. This surprising outcome may urge us to rethink the evolution of cooperation, as it illustrates that maintaining cooperation may be more difficult than previously thought. Moreover, empirical applications may support these theoretical findings, such as invading the cooperator population of pathogens by genetically engineered conditional defectors, which could be a potential therapy for many incurable diseases.
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Functional analysis of circulating tumour cells: the KEY to understand the biology of the metastatic cascade. Br J Cancer 2022; 127:800-810. [PMID: 35484215 PMCID: PMC9427839 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-022-01819-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastasis formation is the main cause of cancer-related death in patients with solid tumours. At the beginning of this process, cancer cells escape from the primary tumour to the blood circulation where they become circulating tumour cells (CTCs). Only a small subgroup of CTCs will survive during the harsh journey in the blood and colonise distant sites. The in-depth analysis of these metastasis-competent CTCs is very challenging because of their extremely low concentration in peripheral blood. So far, only few groups managed to expand in vitro and in vivo CTCs to be used as models for large-scale descriptive and functional analyses of CTCs. These models have shown already the high variability and complexity of the metastatic cascade in patients with cancer, and open a new avenue for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
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Abstract
Integration of ecological and evolutionary features has begun to understand the interplay of tumor heterogeneity, microenvironment, and metastatic potential. Developing a theoretical framework is intrinsic to deciphering tumors' tremendous spatial and longitudinal genetic variation patterns in patients. Here, we propose that tumors can be considered evolutionary island-like ecosystems, that is, isolated systems that undergo evolutionary and spatiotemporal dynamic processes that shape tumor microenvironments and drive the migration of cancer cells. We examine attributes of insular systems and causes of insularity, such as physical distance and connectivity. These properties modulate migration rates of cancer cells through processes causing spatial and temporal isolation of the organs and tissues functioning as a supply of cancer cells for new colonizations. We discuss hypotheses, predictions, and limitations of tumors as islands analogy. We present emerging evidence of tumor insularity in different cancer types and discuss their relevance to the islands model. We suggest that the engagement of tumor insularity into conceptual and mathematical models holds promise to illuminate cancer evolution, tumor heterogeneity, and metastatic potential of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Chroni
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Temple University, USA
- Department of Biology, Temple University, USA
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Temple University, USA
- Department of Biology, Temple University, USA
- Center for Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Ebrahimi S, Nonacs P. Genetic diversity through social heterosis can increase virulence in RNA viral infections and cancer progression. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202219. [PMID: 34035948 PMCID: PMC8097216 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In viral infections and cancer tumours, negative health outcomes often correlate with increasing genetic diversity. Possible evolutionary processes for such relationships include mutant lineages escaping host control or diversity, per se, creating too many immune system targets. Another possibility is social heterosis where mutations and replicative errors create clonal lineages varying in intrinsic capability for successful dispersal; improved environmental buffering; resource extraction or effective defence against immune systems. Rather than these capabilities existing in one genome, social heterosis proposes complementary synergies occur across lineages in close proximity. Diverse groups overcome host defences as interacting 'social genomes' with group genetic tool kits exceeding limited individual plasticity. To assess the possibility of social heterosis in viral infections and cancer progression, we conducted extensive literature searches for examples consistent with general and specific predictions from the social heterosis hypothesis. Numerous studies found supportive patterns in cancers across multiple tissues and in several families of RNA viruses. In viruses, social heterosis mechanisms probably result from long coevolutionary histories of competition between pathogen and host. Conversely, in cancers, social heterosis is a by-product of recent mutations. Investigating how social genomes arise and function in viral quasi-species swarms and cancer tumours may lead to new therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Ebrahimi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
| | - Peter Nonacs
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
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Does Cancer Biology Rely on Parrondo's Principles? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13092197. [PMID: 34063648 PMCID: PMC8125342 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Parrondo’s paradox, whereby losing strategies or deleterious effects can combine to provide a winning outcome, has been increasingly applied by biologists to explain complex adaptations in many living systems. Here, we suggest that considering this paradox in oncology, particularly in relation to the phenotypic diversity of malignant cells, could also be a promising approach to understand several puzzling aspects of cancer biology. For example, the high genetic and epigenetic instability of cancer cells, their metastatic behavior and their capacity to enter dormancy could be explained by Parrondo’s theory. We also discuss the relevance of Parrondo’s paradox in a therapeutical framework using different examples. This work provides a compelling argument that the traditional separation between medicine and other disciplines remains a fundamental limitation that needs to be overcome if complex processes, such as oncogenesis, are to be completely understood. Abstract Many aspects of cancer biology remain puzzling, including the proliferative and survival success of malignant cells in spite of their high genetic and epigenetic instability as well as their ability to express migrating phenotypes and/or enter dormancy despite possible fitness loss. Understanding the potential adaptive value of these phenotypic traits is confounded by the fact that, when considered separately, they seem to be rather detrimental at the cell level, at least in the short term. Here, we argue that cancer’s biology and success could frequently be governed by processes underlying Parrondo’s paradox, whereby combinations of intrinsically losing strategies may result in winning outcomes. Oncogenic selection would favor Parrondo’s dynamics because, given the environmental adversity in which malignant cells emerge and evolve, alternating between various less optimal strategies would represent the sole viable option to counteract the changing and deleterious environments cells are exposed to during tumorigenesis. We suggest that malignant processes could be viewed through this lens, and we discuss how Parrondo’s principles are also important when designing therapies against cancer.
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Dujon AM, Aktipis A, Alix‐Panabières C, Amend SR, Boddy AM, Brown JS, Capp J, DeGregori J, Ewald P, Gatenby R, Gerlinger M, Giraudeau M, Hamede RK, Hansen E, Kareva I, Maley CC, Marusyk A, McGranahan N, Metzger MJ, Nedelcu AM, Noble R, Nunney L, Pienta KJ, Polyak K, Pujol P, Read AF, Roche B, Sebens S, Solary E, Staňková K, Swain Ewald H, Thomas F, Ujvari B. Identifying key questions in the ecology and evolution of cancer. Evol Appl 2021; 14:877-892. [PMID: 33897809 PMCID: PMC8061275 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of evolutionary and ecological principles to cancer prevention and treatment, as well as recognizing cancer as a selection force in nature, has gained impetus over the last 50 years. Following the initial theoretical approaches that combined knowledge from interdisciplinary fields, it became clear that using the eco-evolutionary framework is of key importance to understand cancer. We are now at a pivotal point where accumulating evidence starts to steer the future directions of the discipline and allows us to underpin the key challenges that remain to be addressed. Here, we aim to assess current advancements in the field and to suggest future directions for research. First, we summarize cancer research areas that, so far, have assimilated ecological and evolutionary principles into their approaches and illustrate their key importance. Then, we assembled 33 experts and identified 84 key questions, organized around nine major themes, to pave the foundations for research to come. We highlight the urgent need for broadening the portfolio of research directions to stimulate novel approaches at the interface of oncology and ecological and evolutionary sciences. We conclude that progressive and efficient cross-disciplinary collaborations that draw on the expertise of the fields of ecology, evolution and cancer are essential in order to efficiently address current and future questions about cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine M. Dujon
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesCentre for Integrative EcologyDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVic.Australia
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Biodesign InstituteDepartment of PsychologyArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Catherine Alix‐Panabières
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH)University Medical Center of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Sarah R. Amend
- Brady Urological InstituteThe Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Amy M. Boddy
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCAUSA
| | - Joel S. Brown
- Department of Integrated MathematicsMoffitt Cancer CenterTampaFLUSA
| | - Jean‐Pascal Capp
- Toulouse Biotechnology InstituteINSA/University of ToulouseCNRSINRAEToulouseFrance
| | - James DeGregori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular GeneticsIntegrated Department of ImmunologyDepartment of PaediatricsDepartment of Medicine (Section of Hematology)University of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - Paul Ewald
- Department of BiologyUniversity of LouisvilleLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Robert Gatenby
- Department of RadiologyH. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research InstituteTampaFLUSA
| | - Marco Gerlinger
- Translational Oncogenomics LabThe Institute of Cancer ResearchLondonUK
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs)UMR 7266CNRS‐Université de La RochelleLa RochelleFrance
| | | | - Elsa Hansen
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Biology DepartmentPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - Irina Kareva
- Mathematical and Computational Sciences CenterSchool of Human Evolution and Social ChangeArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Carlo C. Maley
- Arizona Cancer Evolution CenterBiodesign Institute and School of Life SciencesArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Andriy Marusyk
- Department of Cancer PhysiologyH Lee Moffitt Cancer Centre and Research InstituteTampaFLUSA
| | - Nicholas McGranahan
- Translational Cancer Therapeutics LaboratoryThe Francis Crick InstituteLondonUK
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of ExcellenceUniversity College London Cancer InstituteLondonUK
| | | | | | - Robert Noble
- Department of Biosystems Science and EngineeringETH ZurichBaselSwitzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Leonard Nunney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal BiologyUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCAUSA
| | - Kenneth J. Pienta
- Brady Urological InstituteThe Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Kornelia Polyak
- Department of Medical OncologyDana‐Farber Cancer InstituteBostonMAUSA
- Department of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMAUSA
| | - Pascal Pujol
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Arnaud de VilleneuveMontpellierFrance
| | - Andrew F. Read
- Center for Infectious Disease DynamicsHuck Institutes of the Life SciencesDepartments of Biology and EntomologyPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - Benjamin Roche
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
- Unité Mixte Internationale de Modélisation Mathématique et Informatique des Systèmes ComplexesUMI IRD/Sorbonne UniversitéUMMISCOBondyFrance
| | - Susanne Sebens
- Institute for Experimental Cancer Research Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig‐HolsteinKielGermany
| | - Eric Solary
- INSERM U1287Gustave RoussyVillejuifFrance
- Faculté de MédecineUniversité Paris‐SaclayLe Kremlin‐BicêtreFrance
| | - Kateřina Staňková
- Department of Data Science and Knowledge EngineeringMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
- Delft Institute of Applied MathematicsDelft University of TechnologyDelftThe Netherlands
| | | | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesCentre for Integrative EcologyDeakin UniversityWaurn PondsVic.Australia
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Butler G, Keeton SJ, Johnson LJ, Dash PR. A phenotypic switch in the dispersal strategy of breast cancer cells selected for metastatic colonization. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202523. [PMID: 33259764 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An important question in cancer evolution concerns which traits make a cell likely to successfully metastasize. Cell motility phenotypes, mediated by cell shape change, are strong candidates. We experimentally evolved breast cancer cells in vitro for metastatic capability, using selective regimes designed to simulate stages of metastasis, then quantified their motility behaviours using computer vision. All evolved lines showed changes to motility phenotypes, and we have identified a previously unknown density-dependent motility phenotype only seen in cells selected for colonization of decellularized lung tissue. These cells increase their rate of morphological change with an increase in migration speed when local cell density is high. However, when the local cell density is low, we find the opposite relationship: the rate of morphological change decreases with an increase in migration speed. Neither the ancestral population, nor cells selected for their ability to escape or invade extracellular matrix-like environments, displays this dynamic behavioural switch. Our results suggest that cells capable of distant-site colonization may be characterized by dynamic morphological phenotypes and the capacity to respond to the local social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Butler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Shirley J Keeton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Louise J Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Philip R Dash
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Cortés-Hernández LE, Eslami-S Z, Dujon AM, Giraudeau M, Ujvari B, Thomas F, Alix-Panabières C. Do malignant cells sleep at night? Genome Biol 2020; 21:276. [PMID: 33183336 PMCID: PMC7659113 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02179-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological rhythms regulate the biology of most, if not all living creatures, from whole organisms to their constitutive cells, their microbiota, and also parasites. Here, we present the hypothesis that internal and external ecological variations induced by biological cycles also influence or are exploited by cancer cells, especially by circulating tumor cells, the key players in the metastatic cascade. We then discuss the possible clinical implications of the effect of biological cycles on cancer progression, and how they could be exploited to improve and standardize methods used in the liquid biopsy field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zahra Eslami-S
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Antoine M Dujon
- CREEC (CREES), Unité Mixte de Recherches, IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC (CREES), Unité Mixte de Recherches, IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Beata Ujvari
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC (CREES), Unité Mixte de Recherches, IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Catherine Alix-Panabières
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
- CREEC (CREES), Unité Mixte de Recherches, IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
- Institut Universitaire de Recherche Clinique (IURC), 641, avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34093, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
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Eslami-S Z, Cortés-Hernández LE, Alix-Panabières C. The Metastatic Cascade as the Basis for Liquid Biopsy Development. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1055. [PMID: 32850309 PMCID: PMC7396546 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The metastatic cascade describes the process whereby aggressive cancer cells leave the primary tumor, travel through the bloodstream, and eventually reach distant organs to develop one or several metastases. During the last decade, innovative technologies have exploited the recent biological knowledge to identify new circulating biomarkers for the screening and early detection of cancer, real-time monitoring of treatment response, assessment of tumor relapse risk (prognosis), identification of new therapeutic targets and resistance mechanisms, patient stratification, and therapeutic decision-making. These techniques are broadly described using the term of Liquid Biopsy. This field is in constant progression and is based on the detection of circulating tumor cells, circulating free nucleic acids (e.g., circulating tumor DNA), circulating tumor-derived extracellular vesicles, and tumor-educated platelets. The aim of this review is to describe the biological principles underlying the liquid biopsy concept and to discuss how functional studies can expand the clinical applications of these circulating biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Eslami-S
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, UPRES EA2415, Montpellier, France
| | - Luis Enrique Cortés-Hernández
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, UPRES EA2415, Montpellier, France
| | - Catherine Alix-Panabières
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, UPRES EA2415, Montpellier, France
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