Which type of cell death is known as anoikis?
Anoikis (Greek for Homelessness) is a programmed cell death induced upon cell detachment from extracellular matrix, behaving as a critical mechanism in preventing adherent-independent cell growth and attachment to an inappropriate matrix, thus avoiding colonizing of distant organs. Anoikis is important in the normal physiologic development of the human body, as well as in disease states. Adhesion to structural glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix is necessary for survival of the differentiated adherent cells. Cancer cells harbor anoikis resistance allowing spread to occur.