The regulation of cell processes is integrally connected to cellular and ex
tracellular structure. Studies over the past three decades have demonstrate
d the complex interactions of cell structure and function. The relationship
of cellular structure and function has perhaps been most studied in the tr
ansformed cell. The hallmark of transformation is alterations in the shape
of the cell and the nucleus. Many of the cellular alterations observed in t
he cancer process are structural, including changes in extracellular matrix
-cytoskeletal interactions, cytoskeletal elements, as well as nuclear struc
ture. This review focuses on the structural components of the nucleus, the
nuclear matrix, and their role in the cancer process and the use of these s
tructural components of the nucleus, the nuclear matrix, and their role in
the cancer process and the use of these structural components as cancer spe
cific biomarkers. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.