EMT in cancer

In this Viewpoint article, we asked four scientists working in the field of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) to provide their opinions on the role of this complicated phenomenon in cancer biology as well as the challenges of this fast-moving field and the directions it should take in the future. Similar to embryonic development, changes in cell phenotypes defined as an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) have been shown to play a role in the tumorigenic process. Although the first description of EMT in cancer was in cell cultures, evidence for its role in vivo is now widely reported but also actively debated. Moreover, current research has exemplified just how complex this phenomenon is in cancer, leaving many exciting, open questions for researchers to answer in the future. With these points in mind, we asked four scientists for their opinions on the role of EMT in cancer and the challenges faced by scientists working in this fast-moving field.