Epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcription factors and miRNAs: “Plastic surgeons” of breast cancer

Figure 1 Epithelial to mesenchymal transition and mesenchymal to epithelial transition during breast tumor progression. During tumor progression, cancer cells undergo apithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) to acquire invasive, dissemination, chemoresistance and stem cell properties. Thus, an in situ carcinoma progresses to an invasive carcinoma and cells disseminate throughout the entire body via the blood and the lymphatic vessels. After dissemination, cells must undergo an mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) to colonize distant organs.