Modeling triple-negative breast cancer heterogeneity: Effects of stromal macrophages, fibroblasts and tumor vasculature.

ABSTRACT: A hallmark of breast tumors is its spatial heterogeneity that includes its distribution of cancer stem cells and progenitor cells, but also heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment. In this study we focus on the contributions of stromal cells, specifically macrophages, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells on tumor progression. We develop a computational model of triple-negative breast cancer based on our previous work and expand it to include macrophage infiltration, fibroblasts, and angiogenesis. In vitro studies have shown that the secretomes of tumor-educated macrophages and fibroblasts increase both the migration and proliferation rates of triple-negative breast cancer cells. In vivo studies also demonstrated that blocking signaling of selected secreted factors inhibits tumor growth a

SUBMITTER: Norton KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6127870 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature