Breast cancer metastasis to the lungs: From genes to mechanisms

Abstract

Metastasis is the leading cause of death among patients with solid tumors. Attempts to understand this multi-step biological process at a molecular level are presented in this dissertation, using breast cancer metastasis to the lungs as a prototypic system. Emphasis is placed on clinical validation of metastasis mediators, characterization of the specific functional contribution(s) of molecular mediators to the metastatic cascade, and potential therapeutic implications that these findings may have.