Bhowmick Neil A, Neilson Eric G, Moses Harold L
Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
Nature. 2004 Nov 18;432(7015):332-7. doi: 10.1038/nature03096.
It is widely accepted that the development of carcinoma--the most common form of human cancer--is due to the accumulation of somatic mutations in epithelial cells. The behaviour of carcinomas is also influenced by the tumour microenvironment, which includes extracellular matrix, blood vasculature, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts. Recent studies reveal that fibroblasts have a more profound influence on the development and progression of carcinomas than was previously appreciated. These new findings have important therapeutic implications.
人们普遍认为，癌——人类癌症最常见的形式——的发生是由于上皮细胞中体细胞突变的积累。癌的行为也受到肿瘤微环境的影响，肿瘤微环境包括细胞外基质、血管、炎性细胞和成纤维细胞。最近的研究表明，成纤维细胞对癌的发生和进展的影响比之前认为的更为深远。这些新发现具有重要的治疗意义。
