Cancer metastasis: selectable traits without genetic constraints

Mol Cell Oncol. 2020 Oct 25;7(6):1825910. doi: 10.1080/23723556.2020.1825910. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Widely metastatic cancers progress rapidly despite sharing genetic drivers with the primary tumor that seeds them. Our recent work indicates that metastatic pancreatic cancers evolve unique metabolic adaptations that are not genetically encoded. These adaptations harness niche-refined nutrients, such as hepatic glucose, to fuel malignant metaboloepigenetic programs that support widespread metastatic outgrowth.

Keywords: Cancer; chromatin; epigenetics; metabolism; metastasis.