title: Cancer stem cell and stromal microenvironment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chemotherapeutic resistance and local recurrence or distant organ metastasis are the major causes of cancer mortality. Conventional cancer treatments do not consistently prevent cancer recurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  We illustrate the key roles that cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment-particularly the lymph node stromal microenvironment-play in tumor drug resistance, metastasis, and recurrence in 2 representative cancers: colorectal cancer and follicular lymphoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believe that combination treatment with chemotherapeutic agents in conjunction with targeted therapies, such as stromal/cancer stem cell signaling-targeted therapy, may effectively minimize cancer recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Translational Research, Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Margolin
keywords: Cancer metastasis; cancer stem cells; drug resistance; stromal cells; tumor microenvironment