EMT in cervical cancer: Its role in tumour progression and response to therapy

The prognosis of cervical patients significantly decreases as the cancer metastasizes to other parts of the body. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in cervical cancer progression and metastasis. Recurrence is the primary cause of the increased number of deaths due to cervical cancer. Oncogenes, such as AEG1, Sam-68, FTS and miR-361-5p, induce EMT in cervical cancer. Tumour suppressors, such as LMX-1, SFRP1, klotho, and miR-155, suppress EMT in cervical cancer. Factors such as hypoxia, the radiation dose, cytokines, proteins, transcription factors, and signalling pathways also play an important role in the induction, progression and maintenance of EMT in cervical cancer. Overall, this review describes a wide range of factors with potential roles in EMT that have been identified to date, and this information could be important for the development of new and more effective therapeutics that ameliorate the negative impact of cervical pathogenesis via EMT.