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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication
09:52

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication

Published on: September 20, 2016

More than structural cells, fibroblasts create and orchestrate the tumor microenvironment

Carolyn J Baglole1, Denise M Ray, Steven H Bernstein

  • 1Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Lymphoma Biology Program, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, Rochester, New York 14642, USA.

Immunological Investigations
|August 19, 2006
PubMed

The tumor microenvironment comprises many cell types including infiltrating immune cells such as lymphocytes, endothelial cells and a complex stroma consisting mainly of fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are heterogeneous and consist of Thy-1+ and Thy-1- subsets that define different biosynthetic and differentiation potential. They produce mediators linked to carcinogenesis and metastasis, including Cox-2 and PGE2, both of which are also increased in most cancers. This review will highlight the emerging role of the complex fibroblastic stroma in establishing a microenvironment supporting malignant transformation, tumor growth and attenuation of host anti-tumor immune responses.

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