[Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition: Biological Basis and Clinical Prospects of Lung Cancer Invasion, Metastasis, and Drug Resistance].

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, characterized by high incidence and mortality rates. The primary reasons for treatment failure in lung cancer patients are tumor invasion and drug resistance, particularly resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant targeted therapy, which considerably undermine the therapeutic outcomes for those with advanced lung cancer. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) serves as a crucial biological process closely associated with physiological or pathological processes such as tissue embryogenesis, organogenesis, wound repair, and tumor invasion. Numerous studies have indicated that EMT, mediated through various signaling pathways, plays a pivotal role in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of lung cancer, while it is also closely associated with drug resistance in lung cancer cells. Therefore, research focusing on the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology related to EMT can contribute to reversing drug resistance in drug treatment for lung cancer, thereby improving prognosis. This article reviews the progress in research on EMT in the invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance of lung cancer based on relevant domestic and international literature.