Abstract
Current paradigms of cancer-centric therapeutics are usually not sufficient to eradicate the malignancy, as the cancer stroma may prompt tumour relapse and therapeutic resistance. Among all the stromal cells that populate the tumour microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant and are critically involved in cancer progression. CAFs regulate the biology of tumour cells and other stromal cells via cell-cell contact, releasing numerous regulatory factors and synthesizing and remodelling the extracellular matrix, and thus these cells affect cancer initiation and development. The recent characterization of CAFs based on specific cell surface markers not only deepens our insight into their phenotypic heterogeneity and functional diversity but also brings CAF-targeting therapies for cancer treatment onto the agenda. In this Review, we discuss the current knowledge of biological hallmarks, cellular origins, phenotypical plasticity and functional heterogeneity of CAFs and underscore their contribution to cancer progression. Moreover, we highlight relevant translational advances and potential therapeutic strategies that target CAFs for cancer treatment.
Keywords
Cancer-Associated FibroblastsStromal cellCancer cellCancerTumor microenvironmentCancer researchBiologyExtracellular matrixStromaMalignancyImmunologyCell biologyGenetics
MeSH Terms
AnimalsBiomarkersTumorCancer-Associated FibroblastsHumansNeoplasmsTumor Microenvironment
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Crosstalk between cancer-associated fibroblasts and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment: new findings and future perspectives
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a stromal cell population with cell-of-origin, phenotypic and functional heterogeneity, are the most essential components of the tumor micr...
Diversity and Biology of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
Efforts to develop anti-cancer therapies have largely focused on targeting the epithelial compartment, despite the presence of non-neoplastic stromal components that substantial...
IL1-Induced JAK/STAT Signaling Is Antagonized by TGFβ to Shape CAF Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is poorly responsive to therapies and histologically contains a paucity of neoplastic cells embedded within a dense desmoplastic...
Cross-Species Single-Cell Analysis of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Reveals Antigen-Presenting Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
Abstract Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are major players in the progression and drug resistance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). CAFs constitute a diverse cell ...
Concepts of extracellular matrix remodelling in tumour progression and metastasis
Abstract Tissues are dynamically shaped by bidirectional communication between resident cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) through cell-matrix interactions and ECM remodel...
Publication Info
- Year
- 2018
- Type
- review
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 99-115
- Citations
- 1810
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
1810
OpenAlex
46
Influential
Cite This
Xueman Chen,
Erwei Song
(2018).
Turning foes to friends: targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts.
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
, 18
(2)
, 99-115.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-018-0004-1
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41573-018-0004-1
- PMID
- 30470818