Cancer cell motility: lessons from migration in confined spaces

This Opinion article discusses the various migration modes used by cancer cells in confining microenvironments and explains how understanding confined cancer cell motility in vivo through the application of engineered in vitro models could help to develop therapeutic approaches to prevent metastases. Time-lapse, deep-tissue imaging made possible by advances in intravital microscopy has demonstrated the importance of tumour cell migration through confining tracks in vivo . These tracks may either be endogenous features of tissues or be created by tumour or tumour-associated cells. Importantly, migration mechanisms through confining microenvironments are not predicted by 2D migration assays. Engineered in vitro models have been used to delineate the mechanisms of cell motility through confining spaces encountered in vivo . Understanding cancer cell locomotion through physiologically relevant confining tracks could be useful in developing therapeutic strategies to combat metastasis.