Targeting the Molecules in EMT: A Potential Therapeutic Opportunity in Breast Cancer

Abstract

Breast Cancer (BC) is one of the most frequently occurring diseases in women, accounting for 90% of cancer-related deaths in women. Tumor cells can invade nearby tissues and spread to distant organs by metastasis. The epithelialmesenchymal transition or EMT, which involves a number of transcription factors and signaling pathways, is a mechanism by which cells of the epithelium change into mesenchymal type capable of motility, invasion, and metastasis. EMT has grown to be a more intriguing target for developing cutting-edge treatment approaches since it is involved in diverse malignant transformation-related activities. Besides preventing tumor cell invasion and spread and the development of metastatic lesions, anti-EMT treatment methods also lessen cancer stemness and improve the efficacy of more traditional chemotherapeutics. EMT is, therefore, a desirable target in oncology. This review gives an overview of EMT, various markers of EMT, and different inhibitors used in therapies targeting EMT in BC.