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The cancer-associated fibroblasts and drug resistance

X-Y Li1, S-Q Hu, L Xiao

  • 1Faculty of Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China. lixying98@163.com.

European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences
|July 1, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Drug resistance in solid tumors is a major challenge. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment shelter cancer cells, mediating resistance to anticancer drugs and requiring new therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Tumor Microenvironment Research

Background:

  • Solid tumor treatment faces significant challenges due to drug resistance, hindering complete cancer cell elimination.
  • While cancer cell-intrinsic resistance mechanisms are widely studied, the tumor microenvironment's role is increasingly recognized.
  • Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key components of the tumor microenvironment and implicated in therapeutic resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms by which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contribute to solid tumor drug resistance.
  • To highlight emerging therapeutic targets for modulating CAF-mediated resistance phenotypes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating the role of CAFs in cancer drug resistance.
  • Analysis of evidence linking CAFs to resistance against various anticancer therapeutic agents.

Main Results:

  • CAFs provide a protective niche for cancer cells, promoting survival post-drug exposure.
  • Substantial evidence indicates CAFs actively mediate resistance of solid tumor cells to anticancer drugs.
  • Specific pathways and interactions through which CAFs confer resistance are being elucidated.

Conclusions:

  • Cancer-associated fibroblasts play a critical role in mediating drug resistance in solid tumors.
  • Targeting CAFs or their interactions represents a promising strategy to overcome therapeutic resistance.
  • Further research into CAF-mediated resistance mechanisms is essential for developing novel cancer therapies.

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