The normal breast microenvironment of premenopausal women differentially influences the behavior of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Breast cancer studies frequently focus on the role of the tumor microenvironment in the promotion of cancer; however, the influence of the normal breast microenvironment on cancer cells remains relatively unknown. To investigate the role of the normal breast microenvironment on breast cancer cell tumorigenicity, we examined whether extracellular matrix molecules (ECM) derived from premenopausal African-American (AA) or Caucasian-American (CAU) breast tissue would affect the tumorigenicity of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We chose these two populations because of the well documented predisposition of AA women to develop aggressive, highly metastatic breast cancer compared to CAU women.

Methods

The effects of primary breast fibroblasts on tumorigenicity were an

SUBMITTER: Fleming JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2894739 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature