Korean J Urol.  2013 Oct;54(10):645-650.

Role of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Bladder Cancer: From Prognosis to Therapeutic Target

• Yun SJ
• Kim WJ

Abstract

Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most common malignancy of urological organs. However, patients with non-muscle-invasive BC are at high risk of recurrence and progression into muscle-invasive BC, and the prognosis of patients with muscle-invasive BC is limited by the high rate of metastasis. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is characterized by loss of cell-to-cell adhesion and cell polarity and is closely associated with the invasion and metastasis of several cancers. Given the multifocality and high rates of relapse, progression, and metastasis of BC, the EMT is likely to participate in BC as well. Numerous factors associate with the EMT, and the key regulators of the EMT are E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Twist, Snail, Slug, Zeb-1, Zeb-2, vimentin, and microRNAs. This review focuses on the current concepts regarding the EMT in cancer and the evidence for involvement of the EMT in BC. Several potential EMT targets that may be useful in the treatment of BC are also described.

Keyword

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Prognosis; Urinary bladder neoplasms

MeSH Terms

Cadherins
Cell Polarity
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Gastropoda
Humans
MicroRNAs
Neoplasm Metastasis
Prognosis
Recurrence
Snails
Urinary Bladder
Urinary Bladder Neoplasms
Vimentin
Cadherins
MicroRNAs
Vimentin

Figure

• 

  FIG. 1 Molecular markers of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the mesenchymal-epithelial transition.

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