TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of cancer‐associated fibroblasts in cancer invasion and metastasis
AU - Asif, Paris Jabeen
AU - Longobardi, Ciro
AU - Hahne, Michael
AU - Medema, Jan Paul
N1 - Funding Information: Funding: Paris J Asif: Ciro Longobardi, and Jan Paul Medema were funded by Oncode and Dutch Cancer Society grant 10150. Michael Hahne was funded by INSERM (21CM047‐00), INCA (PLBIO21‐222), and ANR (CE14 CILCOL). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a key role in cancer progression by contributing to extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodeling, extensive crosstalk with cancer cells, ep-ithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, metastasis, and therapy resistance. As metastasis is a main reason for cancer‐related deaths, it is crucial to understand the role of CAFs in this process. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and lethality is especially common in a subtype of CRC with high stromal infiltration. A key component of stroma is cancer‐associated fi-broblasts (CAFs). To provide new perspectives for research on CAFs and CAF‐targeted therapeu-tics, especially in CRC, we discuss the mechanisms, crosstalk, and functions involved in CAF‐me-diated cancer invasion, metastasis, and protection. This summary can serve as a framework for future studies elucidating these roles of CAFs.
AB - Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a key role in cancer progression by contributing to extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodeling, extensive crosstalk with cancer cells, ep-ithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, metastasis, and therapy resistance. As metastasis is a main reason for cancer‐related deaths, it is crucial to understand the role of CAFs in this process. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and lethality is especially common in a subtype of CRC with high stromal infiltration. A key component of stroma is cancer‐associated fi-broblasts (CAFs). To provide new perspectives for research on CAFs and CAF‐targeted therapeu-tics, especially in CRC, we discuss the mechanisms, crosstalk, and functions involved in CAF‐me-diated cancer invasion, metastasis, and protection. This summary can serve as a framework for future studies elucidating these roles of CAFs.
KW - CAF‐targeted therapy
KW - Cancer‐associated fibroblast
KW - Colorectal cancer
KW - Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition
KW - Extracellular matrix
KW - Invasion
KW - Metastasis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115184951&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13184720
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13184720
M3 - Review article
C2 - 34572947
SN - 2072-6694
VL - 13
JO - Cancers
JF - Cancers
IS - 18
M1 - 4720
ER -