This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing.
Metastasis remains the primary cause of death in patients with breast cancer. The multistep nature of metastasis underscores the complexity of breast tumor progression. During this process, disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) leave the primary tumor, travel through the circulation, and colonize distant organs, where they must adapt to distinct tissue microenvironments to survive and eventually form overt metastatic lesions. Despite major advances, many aspects of metastasis remain poorly understood. Among them, tumor cell dormancy has emerged as one of the most intriguing stages of the metastatic cascade.
Tumor cell dormancy refers to a state in which cancer cells persist in a non-proliferative, quiescent state for prolonged periods. Increasing evidence indicates that this phase is tightly regulated by tissue-specific microenvironmental cues and plays a critical role in metastatic relapse. Understanding how DTCs enter, maintain, and exit dormancy holds promise for preventing late recurrence in breast cancer patients.
In recent years, the field of tumor dormancy has expanded significantly, integrating new conceptual and technological advances to interrogate this elusive phase of metastasis. Studies spanning extracellular matrix biology, immune regulation, epigenetics, aging have accelerated our understanding of the biology of these rare cells. Moreover, therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting dormant DTCs or preventing their reactivation are beginning to emerge as viable approaches to prevent metastatic progression.
Looking ahead, the future of tumor dormancy research is exceptionally promising. Advances in imaging to identify dormant cells in vivo, molecular profiling of rare DTC populations, and deeper exploration of stromal/DTC cell interactions are opening new avenues for discovery. Elucidating tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms and defining the signals that govern the dormancy-to-reactivation switch will be essential to design precise strategies to eliminate these residual cells and prevent metastatic relapse.
We are excited to launch this collection that will be the first dedicated to tumor cell dormancy in breast cancer. We invite researchers across disciplines to contribute to this collection. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Role of the extracellular matrix in tumor dormancy
- Novel imaging tools to identify dormant DTCs
- Impact of age-influenced stromal niches shaping DTC behavior
- Tissue-specific regulation of tumor cell dormancy
- Strategies to target dormant DTCs
- Impact of current treatments on the behavior of treatment-resistant DTCs
- Immune regulation of dormancy and metastatic progression
- Metabolic fitness during the dormant phase of DTCs
- Epigenetic remodeling and chromatin organization that promote the dormancy to reactivation switch in DTCs
- Role of neuro-tumor interactions in regulating DTC dormancy and reactivation