Most patients that die from cancer do not die due to the primary tumor but due to the development of metastases. However, there is currently still no drug on the market that specifically addresses and inhibits metastasis formation. This lack was, in the past, largely due to the lack of appropriate screening models, but recent developments have established such models and have provided evidence that tumor cell migration works as a surrogate for metastasis formation. Herein we deliver on several examples a rationale for not only testing novel cancer drugs by use of these screening assays, but also reconsider established drugs even of other fields of indication.
Keywords: cancer; cell migration; drug screening; metastasis.