In fact, leading tumor cells that pave the migration path for follower cells were shown to be indeed less epithelial, evidenced by lower expression of epithelial cytokeratins (KRT8 and/or KRT18) but are not more mesenchymal, a conclusion based on the expression levels of basal cytokeratins (KRT5 and KRT14) and EMT related genes (e.g. SNAI1) [52]. Here, KRT18 is linked to neoplasm.