Differential gene expression analysis of multiple datasets, in mice and in men revealed that transcripts of the olfactomedin-like family are differentially expressed in metastases, both in patients with breast cancer and in genetically engineered mouse models of breast cancer. The expression of olfactomedin-like genes was perturbed in metastases to the bone, brain and the lung, suggesting that these molecules function in the metastatic process rather than having tissue-specific associations with the site of dissemination. The olfactomedin-like family may play a role in the progression of breast cancer from frank tumor to colonization of distant organ sites.
