Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer progression and metastasis

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and approximately 90% of breast cancer deaths are caused by local invasion and distant metastasis of tumor cells. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a vital process for large-scale cell movement during morphogenesis at the time of embryonic development. Tumor cells usurp this developmental program to execute the multi-step process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Several transcription factors and signals are involved in these events. In this review, we summarize recent advances in breast cancer researches that have provided new insights in the molecular mechanisms underlying EMT regulation during breast cancer progression and metastasis. We especially focus on the molecular pathways that control EMT.