The knowledge of the structure, function, and abundance of specific proteins related to the EMT process is essential for developing effective diagnostic approaches to cancer with the perspective of diagnosis and therapy of malignancies. The success of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) differentiation therapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia has stimulated studies in the treatment of other tumors with ATRA. This review will discuss the impact of ATRA use, emphasizing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) proteins in breast cancer, of which metastasis and recurrence are major causes of death.

Department of Chemical Drugs Faculty of Pharmacy Masaryk University 612 00 Brno Czech Republic

Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the CAS v v i 602 00 Brno Czech Republic

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