A major clinical challenge in treating cancer patients is the metastasis of
cells to distant organs forming secondary tumors. Many cancers are prone to metastasis
due to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which confers motility and invasive
properties to the tumor. EMT also contributes to chemotherapy resistance and
facilitates metastasis by generating cancer stem cells (CSCs). Therefore, the EMT
program has therapeutic potential for personalized cancer treatment. In more severe
situations, this might destroy metastatic cancer cells that are already present or stop
tumour progression in high-risk patients who are at risk of developing metastatic
tumours. The options for developing EMT-based personalised cancer therapeutics are
covered in this chapter, along with a summary of the evidence supporting some of the
suggested EMT targets and a discussion on the possible benefits and drawbacks of each
strategy.
Keywords: Biomarkers, cancer stem cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, personalized cancer therapy, tumor metastasis.
