| Abstract: | The riddle of the metastatic process Despite all progress in the understanding of the molecular basis of malignant tumours, the chances for being cured has not changed dramatically for the better in the last decades for many clinically important cancers as those of lung, pancreas, colon and ovary. The lack of success can be attributed to the early formation of distant metastases, which can generally not be cured. Without a deeper understanding of the metastatic process, it will be difficult to achieve therapeutic success. An additional problem is posed by the fact, that larger primary tumours as well as metastases develop an interstitial fluid pressure, which hinder the influx of drugs into them. This problem creates an additional obstacle for successful cancer therapy. |
