title: Cancer-associated fibroblasts in digestive tumors.
abstract: The significant influence of tumor stroma on malignant cells has been extensively investigated in this era of targeted therapy. The tumor microenvironment, as a dynamic system, is orchestrated by various cells including tumor vascular composing cells, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts. As a major and important component in tumor stroma, increasing evidence has shown that spindle-shaped cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a significant modifier of cancer evolution, and promote tumorigenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis by stimulating angiogenesis, malignant cell survival, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation via direct cell-to-cell contact or secretion of soluble factors in most digestive solid tumors. CAFs are thought to be activated, characterized by the expression of α-smooth muscle actin, fibroblast activated protein, fibroblast specific protein, vimentin, fibronectin, etc. They are hypothesized to originate from normal or aged fibroblasts, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells, or vascular endothelial cells. EMT may also be an important process generating CAFs, and most probably, CAFs may originate from multiple cells. A close link exists between EMT, tumor stem cells, and chemo-resistance of tumor cells, which is largely orchestrated by CAFs. CAFs significantly induce immunosuppression, and may be a prognostic marker in various malignancies. Targeted therapy toward CAFs has displayed promising anticancer efficacy, which further reinforces the necessity to explore the relationship between CAFs and their hosts.
authors.affiliation: Lei Huang, A-Man Xu, Tuan-Jie Li, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Lei Huang, A-Man Xu, Tuan-Jie Li, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: A-Man
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Lei Huang, A-Man Xu, Tuan-Jie Li, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Lei Huang, A-Man Xu, Tuan-Jie Li, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Lei Huang, A-Man Xu, Tuan-Jie Li, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Tuan-Jie
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Cancer-associated fibroblast; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Targeted therapy; Tumor immunity; Tumor progression