Different experimental models reveal that malignant cancer cells can be induced to change their phenotype into a benign one. This phenotypic transformation, confirmed both in vitro and in vivo, currently is known as 'tumor reversion'. This evidence raises a radical question among current cancer models: Is cancer reversible? How do genetic and epigenetic alterations hierarchically relate? Understanding the mechanisms of 'tumor reversion' represents a key point in order to evolve the actual cancer models and develop new heuristic models that can possibly lead to drugs that target epigenetic mechanisms, for example epigenetic drugs. Even though evidence of tumor reversion dates back to the 1950s, this remains a completely new field of research recently re‑discovered thanks to the interest in cell reprogramming research, developmental biology and the increasing understanding of epigenetic mechanisms. In the current review, a comprehensive review of all the main experimental models on tumor reversion was presented.

中文翻译：

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癌症的表型逆转：通过表观遗传机制实现癌症可逆性的实验证据（综述）。

不同的实验模型表明，可以诱导恶性癌细胞将其表型转变为良性细胞。这种表型转变在体外和体内均得到证实，目前被称为“肿瘤逆转”。这一证据在当前的癌症模型中提出了一个根本性的问题：癌症是可逆的吗？遗传和表观遗传改变如何分层关联？了解“肿瘤逆转”的机制是发展实际癌症模型和开发新的启发式模型的关键点，这些模型可能会产生针对表观遗传机制的药物，例如表观遗传药物。尽管肿瘤逆转的证据可以追溯到 20 世纪 50 年代，但由于人们对细胞重编程研究、发育生物学的兴趣以及对表观遗传机制的日益了解，这仍然是最近重新发现的一个全新的研究领域。在当前的综述中，对所有主要的肿瘤逆转实验模型进行了全面综述。