Mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) in carcinomas has been proposed to promote the growth of epithelial tumour cells at distant sites during metastasis. MET has also been suggested as an important biological and clinical process in mesenchymal tumors, sarcomas. Here we review studies on MET in sarcomas, including molecular markers, signalling mechanisms, regulation by micro RNAs and therapeutic implications. Accumulating evidences suggest that deeper investigation and understanding of MET in sarcomas would shed light on the pathogenesis of sarcomas and might lead to identification of potential clinical biomarkers for prognosis and targets for sarcoma therapeutics.
Keywords: E-cadherin; Epithelial differentiation; Mesenchymal to epithelial transition; Micro RNA; Sarcoma; Targeted therapy; Transcriptional factors.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.