Self-organization in cancer: Implications for histopathology, cancer cell biology, and metastasis

Senthil K Muthuswamy

doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2021.01.010

Self-organization in cancer: Implications for histopathology, cancer cell biology, and metastasis

Cancer Cell. 2021 Apr 12;39(4):443-446. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2021.01.010. Epub 2021 Jan 28.

Author

Senthil K Muthuswamy¹

Affiliation

¹ Cancer Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 33513348
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2021.01.010

Abstract

Pathologists use histological features to classify tumors and assign site of origin for metastasis. How and why tumors organize the way they do and recreate their histological organization during metastasis is unknown. Here, I discuss the concept of "histostasis" conferring tumors a histological memory and hypothesize its implications for metastasis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Neoplasm Metastasis / pathology*
Neoplasms* / diagnosis
Neoplasms* / pathology
Prognosis
Research*