title: Key players in pancreatic cancer-stroma interaction: Cancer-associated fibroblasts, endothelial and inflammatory cells.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the most aggressive type of common cancers, and in 2014, nearly 40000 patients died from the disease in the United States. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which accounts for the majority of PC cases, is characterized by an intense stromal desmoplastic reaction surrounding the cancer cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main effector cells in the desmoplastic reaction, and pancreatic stellate cells are the most important source of CAFs. However, other important components of the PC stroma are inflammatory cells and endothelial cells. The aim of this review is to describe the complex interplay between PC cells and the cellular and non-cellular components of the tumour stroma. Published data have indicated that the desmoplastic stroma protects PC cells against chemotherapy and radiation therapy and that it might promote the proliferation and migration of PC cells. However, in animal studies, experimental depletion of the desmoplastic stroma and CAFs has led to more aggressive cancers. Hence, the precise role of the tumour stroma in PC remains to be elucidated. However, it is likely that a context-dependent therapeutic modification, rather than pure depletion, of the PC stroma holds potential for the development of new treatment strategies for PC patients.
authors.affiliation: Michael Friberg Bruun Nielsen, Sönke Detlefsen, Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, 5000 Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael Friberg Bruun
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Michael Friberg Bruun Nielsen, Sönke Detlefsen, Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, 5000 Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael Bau
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.affiliation: Michael Friberg Bruun Nielsen, Sönke Detlefsen, Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, 5000 Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Sönke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Detlefsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D018450:Disease Progression; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015398:Signal Transduction; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins
keywords: Cancer-associated fibroblast; Desmoplastic stroma; Inflammatory cells; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic stellate cell