The sleeping threat: targeting cancer dormancy to transform metastasis therapy

A comprehensive review published in Nature Reviews Cancer synthesizes the latest understanding of how disseminated cancer cells enter and maintain dormancy before triggering metastatic relapse. The paper examines how microenvironmental cues, epigenetic programs, and immune system interactions collectively govern the behavior of dormant cancer cells scattered throughout the body. Importantly, the review outlines how advances in dormancy research could lead to the development of new biomarkers capable of identifying patients at risk of late relapse, as well as therapies designed to either keep cancer cells permanently dormant or eliminate them before they reactivate. Preventing metastatic recurrence remains one of the most critical unmet needs in oncology, making this a timely and significant contribution to the field.