Department of Pathology, Committee on Cancer Biology, Committee on Immunology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637-5420, USA.
Semin Cancer Biol. 2012 Feb;22(1):41-9. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2011.12.008. Epub 2011 Dec 24.
All cancers depend on stroma for support of growth. Leukemias, solid tumors, cancer cells causing effusions, metastases as well as micro-disseminated cancer cells release factors that stimulate stromal cells, which in turn produce ligands that stimulate cancer cells. Therefore, elimination of stromal support by destroying the stromal cells or by inhibiting feedback stimulation of cancer growth is in the focus of many evolving therapies. A stringent evaluation of the efficacy of stromal targeting requires testing in animal models. Most current studies emphasize the successes of stromal targeting rather than deciphering its limitations. Here we show that many of the stromal targeting approaches, while often reducing tumor growth rates, are rarely curative. Therefore, we will also discuss conditions where stromal targeting can eradicate large established tumors. Finally, we will examine still unanswered questions of this promising and exciting area of cancer research.
所有癌症的生长都依赖于基质的支持。白血病、实体瘤、引起渗出液的癌细胞、转移以及微播散的癌细胞释放出刺激基质细胞的因子，这些基质细胞反过来又产生刺激癌细胞的配体。因此，通过破坏基质细胞或抑制癌症生长的反馈刺激来消除基质支持是许多正在发展的治疗方法的重点。严格评估基质靶向的疗效需要在动物模型中进行测试。目前大多数研究强调基质靶向的成功，而不是破解其局限性。在这里，我们表明，许多基质靶向方法虽然经常降低肿瘤生长速度，但很少能治愈。因此，我们还将讨论在哪些情况下基质靶向可以根除已建立的大型肿瘤。最后，我们将研究这个有前途和令人兴奋的癌症研究领域仍未解答的问题。
