Met in Urological Cancers

Met is a tyrosine kinase receptor that is considered to be a proto-oncogene. The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-Met signaling system plays an important role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis in many types of malignancies. Furthermore, Met expression has been reported to be a useful predictive biomarker for disease progression and patient survival in these malignancies. Many studies have focused on the clinical significance and prognostic role of Met in urological cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and urothelial cancer. Several preclinical studies and clinical trials are in progress. In this review, the current understanding of the pathological role of Met in cancer cell lines, its clinical significance in cancer tissues, and its predictive value in patients with urological cancers are summarized. In particular, Met-related malignant behavior in castration-resistant PCa and the different pathological roles Met plays in papillary RCC and other histological types of RCC are the subjects of focus. In addition, the pathological significance of phosphorylated Met in these cancers is shown. In recent years, Met has been recognized as a potential therapeutic target in various types of cancer; therapeutic strategies used by Met-targeted agents in urological cancers are summarized in this review.