cancers Review Cell Plasticity and Prostate Cancer: The Role of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition in Tumor Progression, Invasion, Metastasis and Cancer Therapy Resistance Sofia Papanikolaou, Aikaterini Vourda, Spyros Syggelos and Kostis Gyftopoulos * Department of Anatomy, University of Patras School of Medicine, Rion, 26504 Patras, Greece;
[email protected] (S.P.);
[email protected] (A.V.);
[email protected] (S.S.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] Simple Summary: Although epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a well-known cellular process involved during normal embryogenesis and wound healing, it also has a dark side; it is a complex process that provides tumor cells with a more aggressive phenotype, facilitating tumor metastasis and even resistance to therapy. This review focuses on the key pathways of EMT in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer and the development of metastases and evasion of currently available treatments. Abstract: Prostate cancer, the second most common malignancy in men, is characterized by high heterogeneity that poses several therapeutic challenges. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a dynamic, reversible cellular process which is essential in normal embryonic morphogenesis and Citation: Papanikolaou, S.; Vourda, wound healing. However, the cellular changes that are induced by EMT suggest that it may also A.; Syggelos, S.; Gyftopoulos, K. Cell play a central role in tumor progression, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to current therapeutic Plasticity and Prostate Cancer: The options. These changes include enhanced motility and loss of cell–cell adhesion that form a more Role of Epithelial–Mesenchymal aggressive cellular phenotype. Moreover, the reverse process (MET) is a necessary element of the Transition in Tumor Progression, Invasion, Metastasis and Cancer metastatic tumor process.