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Review of cancer-associated fibroblasts and their microenvironment in post-chemotherapy recurrence

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Abstract

Cancer tissue comprises not only cancer cells, but also several types of non-cancerous cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts. These fibroblasts directly and/or indirectly communicate with the cancer cells and other types of stromal cells, to create a specific tumor microenvironment. Cytotoxic chemotherapy plays a central role in treating cancer; however, tumor re-progression (recurrence) is a significant problem for cancer patients. Cytotoxic anticancer drugs act on fibroblasts as well as cancer cells and, after chemotherapy, all surviving cells are in contact with one another in the local environment. Therefore, an understanding of the molecular interactions between surviving cancer cells and fibroblasts is necessary to prevent tumor re-progression and to sustain the effect of cytotoxic agents. After chemotherapy, the number of fibroblasts may increase, some of which are identifiable as tumor-promoting. In this review, we discuss the significance of cancer-associated fibroblasts in tumor re-progression after chemotherapy, and the potential value of targeting them to enhance clinical outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Hiroko Hashimoto for her excellent technical supports.

Funding

This study was funded in part by the National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund (31-A-6 and 31-A-8).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories, National Cancer Center Hospital East, 6-5-1, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan

    Genichiro Ishii & Takahiro Ishii

  2. Division of Innovative Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, Chiba, Japan

    Genichiro Ishii & Takahiro Ishii

  3. Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan

    Takahiro Ishii

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  1. Genichiro Ishii
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Correspondence to Genichiro Ishii.

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Ishii, G., Ishii, T. Review of cancer-associated fibroblasts and their microenvironment in post-chemotherapy recurrence. Human Cell 33, 938–945 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13577-020-00417-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13577-020-00417-8

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