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Breast Cancer Microenvironment and the Metastatic Process

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Breast Cancer

Abstract

Metastases are the main cause of breast cancer-related death: hence, the clinical need to prevent and to stop metastasis is of outmost importance. Evidence has accumulated that the propensity of breast cancer cells to metastasize depends on multiple interactions with the microenvironment. Exactly how breast cancer cells communicate with their neighboring “normal” cells is an exciting area of research. Many insights have been gained in recent years from genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) as well as from in vitro cell line studies and from breast cancer xenograft models. The tumor stroma not only supports the development of metastases but may also prime metastases for specific organs. Here, we highlight the importance of the tumor microenvironment and discuss the mechanisms by which stromal cells within breast carcinomas cooperate in the multistep metastatic process.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Özden Yalçın Özuysal of Izmir Institute of Technology and Maryse Fiche of University Hospital of Lausanne for critical comments. The research leading to these results has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (grant agreement n°115188) for the PREDECT consortium (www.predect.eu) resources composed of financial contribution from EU-FP7 and EFPIA companies in kind contribution. The web address of the Innovative Medicines Initiative is http://www.imi.europa.eu/.

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  1. ISREC—Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, School of Life Sciences, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), SV2.832 Station 19, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    George Sflomos & Cathrin Brisken

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  1. George Sflomos
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  2. Cathrin Brisken
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Correspondence to Cathrin Brisken .

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  1. European Institutee of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Umberto Veronesi

  2. European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Aron Goldhirsch

  3. European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Paolo Veronesi

  4. San Raffaele University and Research Hospital, Milano, Italy

    Oreste Davide Gentilini

  5. European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Maria Cristina Leonardi

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Sflomos, G., Brisken, C. (2017). Breast Cancer Microenvironment and the Metastatic Process. In: Veronesi, U., Goldhirsch, A., Veronesi, P., Gentilini, O., Leonardi, M. (eds) Breast Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48848-6_5

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