The Lingering Mysteries of Metastatic Recurrence in Breast Cancer

Overview

Journal Br J Cancer

Specialty Oncology

Date 2020 Nov 26

PMID 33239679

Citations 207

Authors

Alessandra I Riggio

Katherine E Varley

Alana L Welm

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite being the hallmark of cancer that is responsible for the highest number of deaths, very little is known about the biology of metastasis. Metastatic disease typically manifests after a protracted period of undetectable disease following surgery or systemic therapy, owing to relapse or recurrence. In the case of breast cancer, metastatic relapse can occur months to decades after initial diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we provide an overview of the known key factors that influence metastatic recurrence, with the goal of highlighting the critical unanswered questions that still need to be addressed to make a difference in the mortality of breast cancer patients.

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