Table 1.
EMT-Like Phenotypes in Human Carcinomas
| General tumor type | Tumor subtype | EMT-like stage |
|---|---|---|
| Bladder cancer | Transitional cell carcinoma, papillary | 3 |
| Transitional cell carcinoma, solid | 3 | |
| Carcinosarcoma | 1 | |
| Breast cancer | Invasive ductal carcinoma | 3 |
| Infiltrating lobular carcinoma | 2 | |
| Carcinosarcoma | 1 | |
| Colon and rectal cancer | Adenocarcinomas | 3a |
| Carcinosarcoma | 1 | |
| Anal cancer | Epidermoid carcinoma | 3 |
| Endometrial cancer | Adenocarcinomas | 3 |
| Carcinosarcoma | 1 | |
| Ovarian cancer | Serous and mucinous carcinoma | 3 |
| Testicular cancer | Embryonal carcinoma, teratocarcinoma | 1 |
| Gastric cancer | Diffuse gastric cancer | 2 |
| Intestinal gastric cancer | 3 | |
| Head and neck cancer | Carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma) | 3 |
| Kidney (renal cell) cancer | Wilms | 2 |
| Renal cell carcinoma | 3 | |
| Liver cancer | Hepatocellular carcinoma | 3 |
| Lung cancer | Squamous cell carcinomas | 3 |
| Adenocarcinoma | 3 | |
| Small cell lung carcinoma | 3b | |
| Spindle-cell carcinoma | 2 | |
| Carcinosarcoma | 1 | |
| Pancreatic cancer | Adenocarcinomas | 3 |
| Prostate cancer | Adenocarcinomas | 3 |
| Carcinosarcoma | 1 | |
| Skin cancer | Basal cell cancer | 3 |
| Squamous cell cancer | 3 | |
| Spindle cell squamous cell | 1 | |
| Melanoma | 3 | |
| Thyroid cancer | Adenocarcinoma | 3 |
| Anaplastic carcinomas | 2 | |
| Malignant mesothelioma | 1 |
We selected three functional criteria to define EMT-like phenotypes in human carcinomas, ranging from partial to total EMT-like phenotype: a) state of cell polarization, b) state of cell cohesiveness, and c) intermediate filament expression. Combination of these criteria helped us define the following four EMT-like phenotypes. Phenotype 0: differentiated tumor cells with preserved epithelial structure and cell polarity; phenotype 1: most tumor cells characterized by cellular depolarization; however, they retain cohesive cell-cell contacts and the expression of keratins; phenotype 2: loss of cell-cell adhesion in most tumor cells still expressing keratins; phenotype 3: loss of keratin and substantial expression of vimentin.