Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Stem Cells. 2011 Jan;29(1):11-9. doi: 10.1002/stem.559.
The discovery that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are recruited into tumors has led to a great deal of interest over the past decade in the function of MSCs in tumors. To address this, investigators have used a variety of tumor models in which MSCs are added exogenously to determine their impact on tumor development. Interestingly, many studies have reported contradicting results, with some investigators finding that MSCs promote tumor growth and others reporting that MSCs inhibit tumor growth. Many mechanisms have been reported to account for these observations, such as chemokine signaling, modulation of apoptosis, vascular support, and immune modulation. In this review, we analyzed the differences in the methodology of the studies reported and found that the timing of MSC introduction into tumors may be a critical element. Understanding the conditions in which MSCs enhance tumor growth and metastasis is crucial, both to safely develop MSCs as a therapeutic tool and to advance our understanding of the role of tumor stroma in carcinogenesis.
间质干细胞（MSCs）被招募到肿瘤中的发现，在过去十年中引起了人们极大的兴趣，研究人员研究了 MSCs 在肿瘤中的功能。为了解决这个问题，研究人员使用了各种外源性添加 MSCs 的肿瘤模型，以确定它们对肿瘤发展的影响。有趣的是，许多研究报告了相互矛盾的结果，一些研究人员发现 MSCs 促进肿瘤生长，而另一些研究人员则报告说 MSCs 抑制肿瘤生长。许多机制被报道可以解释这些观察结果，例如趋化因子信号、细胞凋亡的调节、血管支持和免疫调节。在这篇综述中，我们分析了报告的研究方法中的差异，并发现 MSC 引入肿瘤的时间可能是一个关键因素。了解 MSCs 促进肿瘤生长和转移的条件至关重要，既可以安全地将 MSCs 开发为治疗工具，又可以促进我们对肿瘤基质在癌变中的作用的理解。
