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Influence of diet on metastasis and tumor dormancy

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Abstract

Tumor metastasis is responsible for most cancer deaths, and can occur after long periods of tumor dormancy. Information learned from experimental studies on tumor metastasis and dormancy is shedding light on mechanisms responsible and possible therapeutic approaches. ‘Seed’ (the cancer cell) and ‘soil’ (the microenvironment of the secondary organ) factors contribute to metastatic outcome. This review considers the possibility that various dietary components may affect both ‘seed’ and ‘soil’ compartments, thereby influencing the growth of metastases, and discusses an experimental study on dietary genistein that illustrates this concept. While studies on human diet are complex, the possibility that relatively non-toxic dietary intervention strategies could impact on metastasis and patient survival is attractive and worthy of further study in appropriate experimental models of metastasis and tumor dormancy.

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Acknowledgements

In the interest of brevity, review articles rather than primary publications have been cited wherever possible, with apologies to the many authors whose work could not be cited directly. Dr. Chambers’ research on models of metastasis is supported by grants from the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance “Special Competition in New Approaches to Metastatic Disease” with special funding support from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and The Cancer Research Society (#016506), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (#42511), and the US Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (W81XWH-06-2-0033), as well as an award from the Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation. Dr. Chambers is Canada Research Chair in Oncology, supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program.

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  1. London Regional Cancer Program and Department of Oncology, University of Western Ontario, 790 Commissioners Road East, London, ON, Canada, N6A 4L6

    Ann F. Chambers

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Chambers, A.F. Influence of diet on metastasis and tumor dormancy. Clin Exp Metastasis 26, 61–66 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10585-008-9164-4

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