Elena Andreucci*1, Anna Laurenzana*, Silvia Peppicelli*, Alessio Biagioni*, Francesca Margheri*, Jessica Ruzzolini*, Francesca Bianchini*, Gabriella Fibbi*, Mario Del Rosso*†, Chiara Nediani*, Simona Serratì‡, Livia Fucci§, Michele Guida¶, Lido Calorini*†1
Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.9, pp. 873-884, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16273798026651
Abstract Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer characterized by an elevated grade of tumor cell plasticity. Such plasticity allows adaptation of melanoma cells to different hostile conditions and guarantees tumor
survival and disease progression, including aggressive features such as drug resistance. Indeed, almost 50% of
melanoma rapidly develop resistance to the BRAFV600E inhibitor vemurafenib, with fast tumor dissemination,
a devastating consequence for patients’ outcomes. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), the ability of cancer cells to
organize themselves in perfused vascular-like channels, might sustain tumor spread by providing vemurafenibresistant cancer cells with supplementary ways to enter into… More >