Abstract: Metastasis is the major cause of death for cancer patients. Further insights have been put into the biology of metastasis. Recently, with the growing support for the cancer stem cell (CSCs) hypothesis and probing into the properties of CSC and related field, more and more evidences suggest CSCs as candidates for mediating metastatic progression. The importance of CSCs in tumor-initiation has been firmly established in leukemia and other solid tomors. However, the role of CSCs in multistage cancer progression, particularly with respect to metastasis, has not been well-defined. Studies have suggested the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor microenvironment and angiogenesis in regulating cancer metastasis. Current research has also highlighted the above related mechanism in mediating CSC metastasis. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent advances in the field of CSC metastasis and related mechanism.

Key words: cancer stem cell, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor microenvironment, angiogenesis