Abstract
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a physiological process that is vital throughout the human lifespan. In addition to contributing to the development of various tissues within the growing embryo, EMT is also responsible for wound healing and tissue regeneration later in adulthood. In this review, we highlight the importance of EMT in the development and normal functioning of the female reproductive organs (the ovaries and the uterus) and describe how dysregulation of EMT can lead to pathological conditions, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, and carcinogenesis. We also summarize the current literature relating to EMT in the context of ovarian and endometrial carcinomas, with a particular focus on how molecular mechanisms and the tumor microenvironment can govern cancer cell plasticity, therapy resistance, and metastasis.
Highlights
In Western countries, the majority of malignancies affecting the female reproductive tract are comprised of ovarian and endometrial cancers (ECs)
In the distal end of fallopian tube, Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by oxidative damage generated from hemolysis of erythrocytes in menstrual blood can possibly be linked to the onset of ovarian endometriosis with tubal origin and HG ovarian carcinoma
It can logically be hypothesized that the extreme invasiveness and poorer patient prognosis associated with HG EC and undifferentiated endometrial carcinoma (UEC) is a direct result of EC cells having undergone the process of EMT
Summary
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a physiological process that is vital throughout the human lifespan. In addition to contributing to the development of various tissues within the growing embryo, EMT is responsible for wound healing and tissue regeneration later in adulthood. We highlight the importance of EMT in the development and normal functioning of the female reproductive organs (the ovaries and the uterus) and describe how dysregulation of EMT can lead to pathological conditions, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, and carcinogenesis. We summarize the current literature relating to EMT in the context of ovarian and endometrial carcinomas, with a particular focus on how molecular mechanisms and the tumor microenvironment can govern cancer cell plasticity, therapy resistance, and metastasis
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