ArticleCancers2020
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Promote Pro-Metastatic Phenotype in Human Breast Cancer Cells through Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.
Article in Cancers, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 121 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
121 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neutrophil extracellular traps predict poor survival in cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on tissue and circulating biomarkers.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Pooled it
- Breast Cancer-Derived AZU1 Educates Neutrophils to Promote Tumor Progression and Metastasis Through PAD4-Dependent Extracellular Trap Formation.Molecular carcinogenesis · 2026Article
- Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in the Tumor Microenvironment: Mechanisms, Immune Regulation, and Implications for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Basophil Extracellular Traps in Immunity and Disease.Cancers · 2026Review
- Prognostic significance of intratumoral neutrophil extracellular traps in pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma: comparison with adenocarcinoma.BJC reports · 2026Article
- Intersecting Roles of Estrogens and Neutrophils in Modulating Innate Immunity in Cancer.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Neutrophil extracellular traps in the tumor microenvironment, metastasis, therapy, and beyond: advances, challenges, and perspectives.Journal of hematology & oncology · 2026Review
- The Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in the Pathogenesis of Ovarian Cancer: New Insight and Future Perspectives.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Review
- Identification of Prognostic Values of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps-Related Genes in Glioma Based on Bioinformatics.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Article
- Hijacking emergency granulopoiesis: Neutrophil ontogeny and reprogramming in cancer.Molecular oncology · 2026Review
- Review
- Inflammasome Activation by Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in the MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cell Line.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Transforming growth factor-β and integrins: key players in EMT and breast cancer progression.Cancer cell international · 2026Review
- Neutrophil extracellular traps in cancer.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2026Review
- Tumor-Associated Neutrophils and Desmoplastic Reaction in the Breast Cancer Tumor Microenvironment: A Comprehensive Review.Cancers · 2026Review
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of tumor-associated neutrophils: bridging the gap between cancer progression and immunotherapy.Molecular cancer · 2026Review
- Tumor-derived neutrophil extracellular trap-associated DNA impairs treatment efficacy in breast cancer via CCDC25-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Article
- Identification of NETs and inflammation-related prognostic genes in breast cancer and PCR experimental validation.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Article
- Neutrophil extracellular traps induce chemoresistance in human breast cancer cells through the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Mechanistic and functional characterization of NETs/IL-17 as a therapeutic target in EMT and brain metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
61 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been associated with several steps of tumor progression, including primary growth and metastasis. One of the key features for the acquisition of the metastatic ability is the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a complex cellular program. In this study, we evaluated the ability of isolated NETs in modulating the pro-metastatic phenotype of human breast cancer cells. Tumor cells were treated with isolated NETs and then samples were generated for cell migration, quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry assays. RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were assessed. NETs changed the typical epithelial morphology of MCF7 cells into a mesenchymal phenotype, a process that was accompanied by enhanced migratory properties. Additional EMT traits were observed: increased expression of N-cadherin and fibronectin, while the E-cadherin expression was repressed. Notably, NETs positively regulated the gene expression of several factors linked to the pro-inflammatory and pro-metastatic properties. Analyses of TCGA data showed that samples from breast cancer patients exhibit a significant correlation between pro-tumoral and neutrophil signature gene expression, including several EMT and pro-metastatic factors. Therefore, NETs drive pro-metastatic phenotype in human breast cancer cells through the activation of the EMT program.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.