Fibroblast diversity and plasticity in the tumor microenvironment: roles in immunity and relevant therapies.

ABSTRACT: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), enriched in the tumor stroma, have received increasing attention because of their multifaceted effects on tumorigenesis, development, metastasis, and treatment resistance in malignancies. CAFs contributed to suppressive microenvironment via different mechanisms, while CAFs also exerted some antitumor effects. Therefore, CAFs have been considered promising therapeutic targets for their remarkable roles in malignant tumors. However, patients with malignancies failed to benefit from current CAFs-targeted drugs in many clinical trials, which suggests that further in-depth investigation into CAFs is necessary. Here, we summarize and outline the heterogeneity and plasticity of CAFs mainly by exploring their origin and activation, highlighting the regulation

SUBMITTER: Xu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10506315 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature