Epithelial-stromal interactions and tumor progression: meeting summary and future directions

The Epithelial-Stromal Interactions Workshop was organized with the purpose of accelerating progress in understanding the interrelationship between tumor cells and their microenvironment and applying this knowledge to the control of tumor progression. The format of the meeting was the presentation of brief reports that focused on concepts rather than specifics, with extensive discussion periods to identify the issues and barriers hindering progress in this area. This report summarizes the findings of this meeting, highlighting the intimate relationship between tumor cells and their environment and addressing the opportunities that manipulation of host-tumor interactions has for therapeutic intervention. Several specific recommendations are made to advance knowledge and progress in this field.