Osteopontin as a therapeutic target for cancer.

Introduction: Cancer is a complex pathological disorder, established as a result of accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes, which lead to adverse alterations in the cellular phenotype. Tumor progression involves intricate signaling mediated through crosstalk between various growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. Osteopontin (OPN), a chemokine-like protein, is involved in promotion of neoplastic cancer into higher grade malignancies by regulating various facets of tumor progression such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis.