Despite recent therapeutic advances in cancer treatment, metastasis remains the principal cause of cancer death. Recent work has uncovered the unique biology of metastasis-initiating cells that results in tumor growth in distant organs, evasion of immune surveillance and co-option of metastatic microenvironments. Here we review recent progress that is enabling therapeutic advances in treating both micro- and macrometastases. Such insights were gained from cancer sequencing, mechanistic studies and clinical trials, including of immunotherapy. These studies reveal both the origins and nature of metastases and identify new opportunities for developing more effective strategies to target metastatic relapse and improve patient outcomes.

尽管最近在癌症治疗方面取得了进展，但转移仍然是癌症死亡的主要原因。最近的工作揭示了转移起始细胞的独特生物学特性，导致远处器官中的肿瘤生长、逃避免疫监视和转移微环境的共同选择。在这里，我们回顾了在治疗微小转移和大转移方面取得的最新进展。这些见解是从癌症测序、机制研究和临床试验（包括免疫疗法）中获得的。这些研究揭示了转移的起源和性质，并确定了开发更有效策略来针对转移复发和改善患者预后的新机会。