Despite encouraging advances in both local and systemic treatment over the past two decades, cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Metastasis, a process of cancer cells spreading from the primary tumor to surrounding tissues and to distant organs is the primary cause of cancer mortality. It is estimated that metastasis is responsible for ∼90% of cancer deaths [1]. This has not changed much in the past half century [2]. Understanding metastases is critical to improving cancer patient outcomes. Although metastasis equates to late stage cancer clinically, when the process begins and how metastasis occurs is largely unknown.

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癌症转移：何时以及如何？

尽管在过去的二十年中，局部和全身治疗取得了令人鼓舞的进展，但癌症仍然是全球范围内主要的死亡原因。转移是癌细胞从原发性肿瘤扩散到周围组织以及远处器官的过程，是造成癌症死亡的主要原因。据估计，转移导致约90％的癌症死亡[1]。在过去的半个世纪中，这并没有太大改变[2]。了解转移对于改善癌症患者的预后至关重要。尽管转移在临床上等同于晚期癌症，但在何时开始转移以及如何发生转移仍是未知之数。