Epithelial plasticity in urothelial carcinoma: Current advancements and future challenges

Figure 4 Epithelial mesenchymal transition and mesenchymal epithelial transition in urothelial carcinoma. EMT/epithelial plasticity allows invasive bladder cancer cells to become motile, invade the surrounding tissues and intravasate. Through bloodstream, primary tumor cells move to distant sites, extravasate, colonize the target organs and establish the metastasis. MET induces regrowth and re-establishment of cancer cells with epithelial phenotype at secondary/metastatic sites. EMT: Epithelial mesenchymal transition; MET: Mesenchymal epithelial transition.