TWIST1 and neoplasm: EMT enables epithelial cells to gain enhanced invasive potential by losing their epithelial features and acquiring a mesenchymal phenotype; in other words, in the EMT process of tumor cells, the expression of epithelial markers (e.g., epithelial cell adhesion molecule [EpCAM] and cytokeratins [CKs]) is downregulated, while that of mesenchymal markers (e.g., vimentin and TWIST) is upregulated [12].