Deconstructing tumor heterogeneity: The stromal perspective

Renee E. Vickman, Douglas V. Faget, Philip Beachy, David Beebe, Neil A. Bhowmick, Edna Cukierman, Wu Min Deng, James G. Granneman, Jeffrey Hildesheim, Raghu Kalluri, Ken S. Lau, Ernst Lengyel, Joakim Lundeberg, Jorge Moscat, Peter S. Nelson, Kristian Pietras, Katerina Politi, Ellen Puré, Ruth Scherz-Shouval, Mara H. ShermanDavid Tuveson, Ashani T. Weeraratna, Richard M. White, Melissa H. Wong, Elisa C. Woodhouse, Ying Zheng, Simon W. Hayward, Sheila A. Stewart

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Significant advances have been made towards understanding the role of immune cell-tumor interplay in either suppressing or promoting tumor growth, progression, and recurrence, however, the roles of additional stromal elements, cell types and/or cell states remain ill-defined. The overarching goal of this NCI-sponsored workshop was to highlight and integrate the critical functions of non-immune stromal components in regulating tumor heterogeneity and its impact on tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to therapy. The workshop explored the opposing roles of tumor supportive versus suppressive stroma and how cellular composition and function may be altered during disease progression. It also highlighted microenvironment-centered mechanisms dictating indolence or aggressiveness of early lesions and how spatial geography impacts stromal attributes and function. The prognostic and therapeutic implications as well as potential vulnerabilities within the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment were also discussed. These broad topics were included in this workshop as an effort to identify current challenges and knowledge gaps in the field.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3621-3632
Number of pages12
JournalOncotarget
Volume11
Issue number40
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 6 2020

Keywords

  • Cellular plasticity
  • Extracellular matrix
  • Stromal heterogeneity
  • Therapy resistance
  • Tumor microenvironment

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