Journal Article

EMT and inflammation: inseparable actors of cancer progression

Cataldo, Didier, Gilles, Christine, Lesage, Julien, Suarez‐Carmona, Meggy

2017

Overview

Tumors can be depicted as wounds that never heal, and are infiltrated by a large array of inflammatory and immune cells. Tumor‐associated chronic inflammation is a hallmark of cancer that fosters progression to a metastatic stage, as has been extensively reviewed lately. Indeed, inflammatory cells persisting in the tumor establish a cross‐talk with tumor cells that may result in a phenotype switch into tumor‐supporting cells. This has been particularly well described for macrophages and is referred to as tumor‐associated ‘M2’ polarization. Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), the embryonic program that loosens cell–cell adherence complexes and endows cells with enhanced migratory and invasive properties, can be co‐opted by cancer cells during metastatic progression. Cancer cells that have undergone EMT are more aggressive, displaying increased invasiveness, stem‐like features, and resistance to apoptosis. EMT programs can also stimulate the production of proinflammatory factors by cancer cells. Conversely, inflammation is a potent inducer of EMT in tumors. Therefore, the two phenomena may sustain each other, in an alliance for metastasis. This is the focus of this review, where the interconnections between EMT programs and cellular and molecular actors of inflammation are described. We also recapitulate data linking the EMT/inflammation axis to metastasis. Tumor‐associated chronic inflammation is a hallmark of cancer that fosters progression to a metastatic stage. Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transitions (EMT) can be co‐opted by cancer cells during metastatic progression. Cancer cells that have undergone EMT are more aggressive, displaying increased invasiveness, stem‐like features, and resistance to apoptosis. In this review, we focus on how the two phenomena, EMT and inflammation, may sustain each other, in an alliance for metastasis.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,FEBS Press,Elsevier,John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subject: Actors / Actresses / Animals / Apoptosis / B cells / Biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology / Biochimie, biophysique & biologie moléculaire / Bladder cancer / Breast cancer / Cancer / Cell Adhesion / Cell adhesion & migration / Cell migration / Cell Polarity / Chemokines / Colorectal cancer / Cytokines / Dendritic cells / Development and progression / Embryos / Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition / Fibroblasts / Gene expression / Head & neck cancer / Humans / Inflammation / Inflammation - metabolism / Inflammation - pathology / Invasiveness / Life Sciences / Liver cancer / Lymphocytes / Macrophages / Melanoma / Mesenchyme / Metastases / Metastasis / Morphology / Neoplasm Metastasis / Neoplasms - metabolism / Neoplasms - pathology / Phenotypes / Review / Reviews / Sciences du vivant / Stem cells / stroma / Studies / Thyroid cancer / Tumor cells / Tumors