Organotropic breast cancer metastases at the micro and macro levels

Joint Event on Cancer Treatment & Breast Cancer and Biomarkers

March 20-21, 2019 Paris, France

Amelia Traylor

Stanford University School of Medicine, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Cancer Sci Ther

Abstract :

Metastasis, the process by which cancer spreads through the body, causes 90% of cancer related deaths. The biological processes behind metastasis are not well understood, especially at the single cell and micrometastasis levels. However, the preference for cancer cells to metastasize to certain organs has been shown to depend on differences in the tissuesâ?? microenvironments, though this relationship is not well characterized. To better understand the impact of the tumor microenvironment on metastasis, this project examines breast cancer metastasis patterns in different organs. In this study, nude mice were injected with breast cancer cells lines that have been shown to be organotropic, or have different metastasis site preferences. Cancer progression was monitored based on tumor growth and the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which were captured using a microfluidic device called a herringbone chip. When the cancer progressed to a late stage, the mouse was dissected and its organs were examined for both visible tumors and micrometastases. The presence of micrometastases was determined by digesting organs and attempting to culture any breast cancer cells within them. The goal is to characterize the in vivo metastasis patterns of organotropic cell lines for validation of a future in vitro assay that predicts an individual patientâ??s likely metastasis sites. This will lead to the development of a more informed treatment course.

Biography :

E-mail: atraylor@stanford.edu