Metastasis: An Overview

Metastasis means the spread of the malignant cells from the origin site to a distant area. It involves the process of separation / detachment, transportation of fragmented primary tumour cell and lodging in the new site, having a favourable environment. It does not result from random survival of cells released from the primary tumour, but from the selective growth of specialised subpopulations of highly metastatic cells endowed with specific properties that benefit them to complete each step of the metastatic process. To understand this complex network we need to explore the molecules involved in it. This article reviews the theories, mechanisms, genes and genetic alterations that are involved in the process of metastasis.