Senchukova MA. Colorectal cancer and dormant metastases: Put to sleep or destroy? World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16(6): 2304-2317 [PMID: 38994146 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i6.2304]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Marina A Senchukova, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, Orenburg State Medical University, 6 Sovetskaya Street, Orenburg 460000, Russia. masenchukova@yandex.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jun 15, 2024; 16(6): 2304-2317 Published online Jun 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i6.2304
Colorectal cancer and dormant metastases: Put to sleep or destroy?
Marina A Senchukova
Marina A Senchukova, Department of Oncology, Orenburg State Medical University, Orenburg 460000, Russia
Author contributions: Senchukova MA solely contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares no conflict-of-interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marina A Senchukova, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, Orenburg State Medical University, 6 Sovetskaya Street, Orenburg 460000, Russia. masenchukova@yandex.com
Received: February 24, 2024 Revised: April 19, 2024 Accepted: April 30, 2024 Published online: June 15, 2024 Processing time: 111 Days and 9.3 Hours
Abstract
After reading the review by An et al “Biological factors driving colorectal cancer metastasis”, which covers the problem of the metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC), I had a desire to discuss with readers one of the exciting problems associated with dormant metastases. Most deaths from CRCs are caused by metastases, which can be detected both at diagnosis of the primary tumor and several years or even decades after treatment. This is because tumor cells that enter the bloodstream can be destroyed by the immune system, cause metastatic growth, or remain dormant for a long time. Dormant tumor cells may not manifest themselves throughout a person’s life or, after some time and under appropriate conditions, may give rise to the growth of metastases. In this editorial, we will discuss the most important features of dormant metastases and the mechanisms of premetastatic niche formation, as well as factors that contribute to the activation of dormant metastases in CRCs. We will pay special attention to the possible mechanisms involved in the formation of circulating tumor cell complexes and the choice of therapeutic strategies that promote the dormancy or destruction of tumor cells in CRCs.
Core Tip: After reading the review by An et al “Biological factors driving colorectal cancer metastasis” (World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024, 16: 259-272), I had a desire to discuss with readers the problem associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) dormant metastases. Metastases can be detected during the initial diagnosis of CRC or can appear many years after treatment. Late metastases are caused by dormant tumor cells. This editorial discusses the most important features of dormant metastases and premetastatic niches, factors that promote the activation of dormant metastases, and possible therapeutic strategies to promote tumor cell dormancy or their killing in CRCs.
