Abstract
Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Understanding the pathogenesis of metastasis at the molecular levels is of great significance for cancer research. However, the molecular diagnosis or treatment of cancer metastasis is limited. Accumulating and growing evidence shows that epigenetic changes are present in all human cancers, and epigenetic regulation is an indispensable factor to promote tumor metastasis. With the deepening of research and the advancement of technology, the function and mechanism of epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, histone/RNA modification, and precursor messenger RNA alternative splicing and noncoding RNAs, has become more increasingly clear. At present, the application of epigenetic therapies in tumor treatment is becoming a feasible therapeutic route. In this review, we looked for the key molecules in epigenetic regulation and discuss their relative regulating mechanisms in cancer metastasis. Furthermore, we highlight promising therapeutic strategies, including monitoring serum DNA for diagnostic purposes and early phase clinical trial therapies that target DNA and histone methylation. This may also be beneficial in finding new targets for further prognosis and diagnosis of cancer metastasis.
Highlights
Cancer is one of the major public health problems which has become a dominant cause of death in the global world, while the stage of metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of deaths [1]
In tumor progression, finding the key epigenetic molecules that control metastasis is of great clinical significance and will provide a new way to search for effective therapeutic drugs and molecular markers for diagnosis
We present the available evidence from four parts on how epigenetics plays a role in cancer metastasis
Summary
Cancer is one of the major public health problems which has become a dominant cause of death in the global world, while the stage of metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of deaths [1]. We review the functional roles and mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in cancer metastasis (Figure 1) It may be beneficial in providing new insights into the diagnosis, prognosis, and prevention of cancer research. Because aberrant DNA can be released into the bloodstream by cancer cells, it is easy to detect common tissue changes from the blood using quantitative multiplex assays, especially for cell-free DNA methylation [19] Studies such as TBCRC 005 might provide the first potential clinical tool for measuring the serum level of methylation, which was conducive to the detection of metastatic breast cancer [20]. It has been well documented that how histone methylation was modified relative to writers, erasers, and readers mRNA/miRNA splicing DGCMR8e
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
