Metastasis

Most cancer deaths are caused by distant metastasis. Yet the mechanisms that regulate distant metastasis are poorly understood. Metastasis is a very inefficient process in which few disseminated cancer cells survive, and even fewer proliferate, but little is known about why. The meeting will address the nature of metastasis initiating cells as well as their phenotypic plasticity, genetic and epigenetic evolution. Speakers will address the characterization of circulating cancer cells and how recent advances in imaging and DNA analysis are assisting the clinical management of metastasis. They will discuss why cancer cells sometimes go dormant after metastasis. Finally, they will discuss the metabolic regulation of metastasis and how the metabolic environment influences the survival of cancer cells during metastasis.